Most ads seem to link to products/services that are not related to the content of the page that I'm currently looking at. Instead, they present targeted content based on browsing habit profiling. I'm far less likely to click on an ad that is out of context with what I'm currently thinking about.

Then I would have searched for it and found the link that way.

Right. The ad might remind you that you need something. Or it might trigger a flash of insight. But it would not likely lead to any reliable information about the issue.

And that reminds me. It's very hard to get reliable information about new products. Just about all "reviews" are just advertorials.

An example:

I occasionally will click on ads for webcomics that seem like they might be interesting.