The phenomenon known as the internet has surpassed any other form of media for its ability to reach massive numbers of people. Although print media, radio, and then television were rightfully seen as world-changing innovations for discourse in the public arena in their day, none of these came close to matching not only the number of subscribers reached, but the ability to reach the target audience simultaneously.

Because of this capacity for world-wide coverage in the blink of an eye, the internet has become the communication medium of choice not just for news organizations, researchers, and the general public but absolutely for that industry which always finds the newest and most effective ways to take advantage of communications: the world of advertising.

The most common complaint heard from the typical pedestrian user of the world wide web is the overabundance of seemingly unwanted ad displays that pop up while searching some unrelated topic of interest. Yet the foundation of any medium truthfully rests not on its content but on the advertising dollars that keep the presses rolling and the audience tuned in.

The application of this principle to the internet has created an entire new world of advertising techniques and vocabulary. Because it is in fact a "print" medium - or more properly, a "text" medium - the usage of words and phrases has become more important than ever to the success and effectiveness of reaching the target audience.

The usage of ad text is crucial in attracting the user searching the vast vacuum of the internet. The proper and well-aimed choice of words and phrasing can be considered a true science. It is not so much the word or words used, like a brand name, that cause a search engine to land on an advertisement as it is the way in which the words are phrased and where they are placed.

This is why the usage of ad text is so vital to maximize the number of "hits" an advertiser’s page receives, which of course is the name of the game as anyone knows. Herein lies the difference between online advertising and print advertising: the money to be made is not the visit to the advertiser’s physical place of business primarily, it is the virtual "glance" at the ad itself which garners the cash.

Online advertisers must understand that it is this maximization and monopolizing of the "click" that brings in the money, and just as importantly it is the cost of placing the words or phrases in the best positions to be clicked on that costs the most. Ad text can be placed directly on the advertiser’s home page, or it can be embedded in other pages, related or otherwise, to catch the prey swimming in the electronic stream.

This science of word manipulation and placement is too vast and too varied to address in one treatise, but understanding the value of ad text usage and its placement is key to making the best use of the world wide web of advertising.