Advertisements are paid per-impression, with a higher rate per-click. Google adsense words and links vary based on the value of the keyword or advertising segment. For instance - 'credit card' ads pay more than 'subwoofer' ads, because credit card companies have to bid higher on the keywords to get their impressions through.
The first several search results on most engines are owned by a company whose name eludes me.
Considering the volume of page views here (not only from members, but that vast amount of unique search hits - for instance, anybody that searches for a less-mainstream keyword set or brand name -- a/d/s, for instance, or resonant engineering, or dbdrag spl street - will likely end up clicking through here a few times, and generating ad impressions.
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 20 (15 members and 5 guests)
Twenty people see eight ad-sense ads, an
ebay searchbox with auction promotions, and probably are spilling data to keyword researching both to and from their referring urls.
overture, i think the place is called?