I always enjoy your well-written and well-thought-out stories. I agree with this distinction between ads in general and sponsored search in ecommerce.

What do you think about the indirect benefits of promoted search? Ad revenue should make the business more profitable, which in turn allows that business to develop tools and techniques to respond better to the user — including in its organic search results. This is a very real benefit, though it’s sometimes harder to see because of the lack of direct connection. I guess it’s a matter of trust and transparency for the user: does the user trust the company to not do something that disproportionately benefits itself over its customer.

The same could be said about ads in general. Many (free) services would not be available without ads. The indirect benefits are clear in this case — for those who can tolerate ads.

But I think we all agree that if/as the ad industry learns how to promote itself in ways that also promote the user’s intent, instead of fighting against it, it will be a win for everyone. Promoted search is one big step in that direction, as this story points out.

Trust, confidence, and relevance are the issue, not ads.