Chance,
In order to find out if a domain is taken or not, I would search for the domain using GoDaddy or another registrar. Many people buy a domain and don't put anything on there, so it appears on the browser that the domain is not taken, but it may be already taken.
What you're referring to with the Google Ads is called domain parking. Let's say, someone bought a whole bunch of domains. They can park it for a monthly fee and when people click on the ads, the domain owner and the registrar share the revenue generated from the ad clicks.
While you know they are ads, many people are unaware of it, and click on the ads.
The idea is that if someone has invested in buying a bunch of domains that he/she may not have an immediate use for, by parking it, they may make a few bucks from it.
Anyway, hope this clears it up a bit.
Sherif
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