I appreciate the 'point - counterpoint', Hendrik.
It makes for a great thread ...
... and I enjoyed playing "The Devil's Advocate".
The difference between "Hey! Look! Click on this Adsense link so I can make a few dollars! {sic}" and "Check out our competitors ... blah, blah, blah" may not matter to Google, but it does seperate the money hungry from the merchant using popular marketing strategies to make an honest living.
Just trying to make that point clear, tis all.
Have a great day, my friend.
Mike "a Google fan, regardless" Merz