Google offers a variety of web tools. if you are a webmaster then you probably use at least one of their services. Google AdWords is one of their advertising platforms. It let's you tap into their search engine traffic thorough PPC (pay-per-click) advertising. While the advertising is the key to AdWords, they also offer some great research tools. Below are three ways you can use AdWords in your Search Engine Marketing

1. PPC (pay-per-click) Ads - This is the basis of AdWords, basically you can pay to have your website featured at the top of the Google rankings for any keyword. Your site will show up in the "Sponsored Links" section of Google. This section is either at the top of the listings, or on the right hand side.

PPC ads are great because you only pay when someone clicks your ad. The cost is based on the competition and it varies widely. For some terms you will pay mere cents. You can also target certain geographical areas with these ads, so only people searching from a certain area will see them. This is great for businesses who want to tap into their local market.

The main benefit of these PPC ads is that you can get to the top of Google for your chosen search terms (keywords) without taking on the long SEO process.

2. The Display Network - Showing up in Google search results isn't the only kind of PPC ads available. Google AdWords also makes it ridiculously easy to advertise your website on other related websites and blogs across the internet.

Google AdWord's Display Network allows you to place your banners on sites related to your own. It allows you to put your offer in front of people who care about it. You can let Google select the sites for you, or you can even choose the sites yourself.

You can use your own banners, or the easy to use templates Google provides. Another bonus to the Display Network is that often these ads are cheaper per click than the search engine result ads from the above point.

3. Research - AdWords includes a free to use keyword research tool. Even if you don't want to use their paid advertising options, this simple tool can help you. It is the first place you should go when you are doing keyword research. It allows you to enter your keyword and see an approximation of how many people search that term each month.

This info is perfect for people about to start a search engine optimization or search engine marketing plan. Why invest time and money into terms that don't get searched? The results will also include variations of your search term you might not have even thought about.

These results also show local search volume, so it is a good way to judge your offline activities as well. If you are a shoe store thinking of offering a new line, you could research how often people in your local area search for that product online.

Google Adwords is a great place to start any of your search engine marketing pursuits. It allows you to tap directly into Google's search engine traffic, tap into related blogs and websites and complete your SEM research. If you are marketing yourself online then AdWords should be part of your marketing plan.