I was recently asked for a good, basic ELI5-style answer to the question “How does paid search marketing work?” If you’re not familiar, ELI5 (“Explain Like I’m Five”) is a popular subreddit where people request responses that are “friendly, simplified and layman-accessible explanations – not responses aimed at literal five-year-olds.” 

Here’s my attempt at a clear, comprehensive answer to that question:

The key players in paid search marketing

Paid search marketing usually refers to a pay-per-click model where advertisers pay only when people click their ad and visit their website.