Many websites allow 'sponsors' or advertisers to place ads on their website as a means of generating revenue. Advertisements are often related to the content of the websites which host them, as search engines such as Google scan the site for relevant words. These ads are called 'pay-per-click' because they only generate revenue for the host website once the user has clicked on the link or the ad.

Google 'adwords' are also very relevant here. We should understand that words are for sale on the Internet. Google auctions off words in through their adwords marketing program. If one is not satisfied with their Google ranking through 'organic hits', one can buy their way to the top and appear on the 'sponsored links'. Some words are more expensive than others. 'Safari tours South Africa' is more expensive than 'zebra', for example.

Why is all of this important for the Language A: Language and Literature course? It is our task to study a multitude of text types. Print ads that traditionally appear in magazines or billboards are only one kind of advertisement. Pay-per-click ads are another type of text that uses persuasive language, and equally deserve our attention. What's more, the websites that host these 'sponsors' are also altered in appearance and purpose by allowing them on. The reader of a 'sponsored' website will take the advertising into consideration when reading the text. Certain expectations are created when Google 'adwords' are allowed on. Depending on the reader's history with Google, ads can be tailor-made to the reader's interests to some extent. 

Besides the argument that we should be exploring various text types and their structural conventions, there is the basic principle that we should be going behind the scenes (or 'screens') to think critically about how are media are constructed. Studying the 'pay-per-click' may seem insignificant, but it opens up a whole world of interconnectivity that is rapidly changing the way we do business and organize our lives. 

Related lessons

• The Internet