Pat Smathers says Google AdWords are good for the grassroots.

The candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor first started running ads on Google searches on Sept. 18 to promote a fundraiser featuring bluegrass player David Holt.

That promotion used Holt's name, as well as a dozen more esoteric search terms like "nc mountain music charlotte" to draw people to Smathers' Web site, said political coordinator Hanna Raskin.

She said the targeted ads were very successful. Though only a few thousand people saw the ads, almost 10 percent clicked through to the site to buy tickets, Raskin said.

Since September, the ads for other lieutenant governor candidates have been seen 1.9 million times, but the number clicking on the ads is in the hundreds, she said. Searches for "Hampton Dellinger" have gotten the most clicks.

The campaign has cost $98 in total.