Is PMQ and the Think Tank is such a tough financial state that I must be subjected to Google Ads that advertise my direct competition? I really take offence to the ads here that come up for the pizza place down the road. Yes I understand advertising is what pays for this free service but how many of us really want to see advertisements like the one I see for Pizza Pizza? I do not object to seeing the ads for services that may be useful to operators like pos systems, ovens, box toppers, magnets, etc.
Sorry for the rant. Thanks for letting me blow off steam. And yes I am aware I can use Firefox and not see these ads.
That’s happening because you googled your competitor. I was looking for PG-50 ink cartridges the other day for my printer, and now every other google ad is for PG-50 cartridges.
I was kind of weirded out the 1st time I saw it and then I realized my mistake… searching with google. I don’t think PMQ can control the content of the ads that rotate.
I don’t know how true that is… I’ve never searched for dating services, wrinkle creams, anything stock market related etc etc… In fact, I’ve NEVER used google before…
This is what I am seeing. Pizza 73 is a cheap 2 for 1 that I have had the misadventure of being a delivery driver for. When I decided to quit I wrote a letter to the health department and sent a copy to their corporate office, signed with a contact number.
You’re getting your competitors ads because the word “pizza” is all over this website and it knows where you are based on your IP address. In the google ads up on top of the page, I’m seeing an ad for my place
If you want to have Google stop tracking your searching, just set your brower to reject the Google cookie. I do, because I find it extremely creepy for them to track everything I search for. The cookie sets itself to expire in 2038, so they’ll be logging every single search you ever make until you delete the cookie or buy a new computer.
Come to think of it, Google just creeps me out in general. I still buy advertising from them though.
The folks at PMQ are trying to provide a “free” resource but it certainly costs them money to operate…A busy forum requires lots of “bandwidth” someone has to pay…Many other forums have gone to “premium” memberships to gain access to the complete forum…Would a “paid” forum be better?..Some forums require merchants to pay an extra fee to allow them to have contact information in their profiles and/or signatures…The great thing about Google Ads (and ex-wives) is you can just ignore them…There may still be a little discomfort but I think we can learn to live with it to keep this forum going as is…
Has anyone here tried doing this? Advertising with Google Ads on their search page?
I’ve still got an (now expired) offer sitting on my desk. Apparently, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad and can set a cap on the amount you’re willing to spend. A general keyword like “pizza” costs quite a bit but otherwise rare/seldom used words, like a competitor’s name, only cost a few cents for each click.