Contextual advertising refers to advertising that targets a web page based on the content of the web page, its category and the keywords of the page. The contextual advertisement system scans the content of a web page in search of the keywords and returns the advertisement based on what the user was searching. This is done via pop-up ads and ads placed on the web page (Brick Marketing, 2005). Search engine marketing is an internet marketing method which focuses on purchasing adverts which appear on search engines result pages such as Google. This markets a website by improving its ranking on the results of search engines which increases the popularity and the probability of the website getting a hit by potential visitors. Search engines copy and store content of web pages and make the retrieval and presentation fast when responding to a search. When an individual types keywords on a search engine’s search panel, the search engine goes through the webpages and then provides a list of pages that contain information related to the keywords. The results are ranked according to their relevance, popularity of the site and other search engine analogies (Nadile, 2013).
Contextual advertising entails more than the search, as it hooks users who are looking for 
related content. It also allows the businesses and individuals to provide their ads in a different format such as video and images. Contextual advertising works more like banner advertising though with low click lower rate. Contextual advertising engages customers since once they click on the ads, they get more information and also are likely to give a response on the products or services. This provides a high rate of user satisfaction with less effort on searching (Orphicpixel, 2012). Thus, it is a cost effective method of advertising.
The key benefit of using search engine marketing is that it delivers an active message to the target audience. The people who view the adverts are those who search for the keywords that are indicated. The search engine is the most popular medium for locating information for most internet users who always perform local searches. The method is cost effective compared to other methods; thus, it is an effective way to get a newly set up business (Flannagan, 2011). The other main benefit of contextual advertising is the nature of its distribution. An advert placed on the search results of a search engine can be accessed by a person on the other side of the globe no matter the country where the advert was generated. This allows businesses to access a wider market for their goods and services which can lead to improved sales.
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