While I have nothing against advertising on websites, I'm generally uncomfortable adding third party advertising to commercial sites. Commercial sites (those promoting a business product or service) have enough to do to get their message across clearly and succinctly. Adding ads, in my opinion, dilutes the primary message. The worst possible situation is when a competing product is advertised on your site, and that is all too easy to happen. So why have I included Google Ads on this page?

Partly for my own education and to see what would happen. After telling Google that I did not want to see ads that competed with my message, I have been noticing ads for Cadillac and Godiva Chocolates. I wonder what kind of message that sends to you as you read this article. Or whether you see a completely different kind of ad. Google doesn't only match the ads it places on a website by the website content, but also according to the perceived interests of the reader. In other words, if before visiting this site you were looking at sites with cute pictures of puppies, you might be seeing ads promoting pet food. I once spent an hour looking to buy checques online. For weeks, those same sites showed up in the ads of every other site I visited, though I ended up going back to my bank to order checques in the end. Sorry Google.

So why am I seeing ads now for expensive cars and chocolates? I don't think it has anything to do with my online surfing of late. You see, even if I clicked one of those ads, Google won't pay me for clicks I make on my own site, from my own computer. If they really wanted to tempt me, they'd be showing the kinds of ads I normally see on other sites: for computer software, graphic design or website hosting and development. But those are specifically the kinds of ads I told them I didn't want to see on this site, since those are the services I offer. It's kind of refreshing actually. And I do appreciate a good chocolate from time to time, even if it is virtual.