Google Tells SEC Reporting On Mobile CPCs And Clicks Would Not Be Meaningful, Too Confusing

The average cost-per-click advertisers pay for Google ads has been declining year-over-year since the fourth quarter of 2011. The rise of mobile has long been seen as the driving force behind the declining average cost-per-click (CPC) — a glut of new ad inventory coupled with the fact that…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Baidu Hires Andrew Ng, Google’s Lead “Brain”

Chinese search giant Baidu has stolen away the head of Google’s “deep learning” project, dubbed “Google Brain.” Andrew Ng is an artificial intelligence expert, Stanford professor and founder of online learning company Coursera. Google Brain is a machine learning…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

The Google State Of The Union: Strong Yet Vulnerable

Earlier today Google published its annual Founders’ Letter. This is a kind of “Google State of the Union” missive that Google has published annually since it went public. Many bloggers picked up on the following remark in the document penned by Google CEO Larry Page: “[I]n…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Google Injects Google Shopping With Amazon Talent In Rangespan Acquisition

Google’s ongoing efforts to bolster its product search portal, Google Shopping, and take on Amazon and Ebay has got another boost. The company has acquired Rangespan, a London based start-up that developed backend supply chain management software for online retailers. Founded by Amazon…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Why Yahoo’s Not Going To Steal The Search Default For iPhone Away From Google

Apparently Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer wants to be the default search for Apple’s Safari browser on iPhone and iPad and has been preparing to make a solid pitch. Well, we all want things we can’t have, and I’d be incredibly surprised if Yahoo got its wish here. Kara Swisher over at…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Hotel Search Upgrade: Google Licenses Room 77 Platform

Despite its controversial $700 million acquisition of travel software company ITA several years ago and the launch of Google’s Hotel Finder site, Google has yet to emerge as a force in online travel. That may all be about to change. Bloomberg reported yesterday that Google “is licensing…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Matt Cutts: Google Mobile Queries May Surpass PC Search This Year

Speaking at SMX West last week Google’s Matt Cutts said that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if mobile search exceeded desktop queries this year. A similar comment was made by a Google speaker informally during a roundtable discussion at the International Franchising Association…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Forecast: Google To Lose $1.4B In PC Revs As Search Shifts To Mobile

A forecast just released by eMarketer argues that Google will lose $1.4 billion in PC search revenue in 2014 as paid clicks partly migrate to mobile devices, where revenue per click has been lower. Some of that PC revenue decline will be offset by grow…

Study: Women Spotlighted In Only 17% Of Google Doodles Between 2010 & 2013

In its expansive Google: Doodle Us study, female advocacy group SPARK revealed only 77 women were represented in the 445 Google Doodles featured on the site’s various country-specific homepages between 2010 and 2013. Analyzing the individuals honored by Google logos appearing on the…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

FOX Partners With Google To Allow Voting For American Idol On Google’s Search Results

FOX and Google have partnered to enable American Idol fans to vote for the finalists directly in the Google search results. That means you no longer have to text your vote, you can do it on Google.com. How does it work? Simple, you go to Google on your…

Will 11th Hour Objections Derail The Google-EU Antitrust Settlement?

When the European Commission recently announced yet another antitrust settlement with Google the matter appeared to be coming to an end. This was the third proposed settlement from Google but indications from EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia suggested that it was essentially final and…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Google Moves Ahead Of Exxon To Become 2nd Most Valuable US Company After Apple

Bloomberg.com reported today Google has moved ahead of Exxon Mobile Corp to become the second most valuable company in America following Apple. According to Bloomberg, Google’s market capitalization totals $393.5 billion, representing less than a billion more than Exxon’s $392.6…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

With Susan Wojcicki Heading YouTube, Google SVP Sridhar Ramaswamy Takes The Reigns Of Ads And Commerce

With today’s news that Google ads veteran Susan Wojcicki has is now heading YouTube, Google tells Search Engine Land that Sridhar Ramaswamy will lead the ads and commerce team. Ramaswamy and Wojcicki, who’ve both shared the title of SVP, Ads & Commerce, have been jointly running the…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Google Q4 2013 Earnings Report $16.86 Billion In Revenues

Google announced fourth-quarter 2013 earnings today. Google’s revenue targets beat estimates, while their earnings-per-share did not. Google had revenues of $16.86 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2013, an increase of 17% compared to the fourth quarter of 2012. Google’s…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Google May Be Forced To Pay $1 Billion To Patent Troll

A New York-based “patent troll” called Vringo, through its subsidiary I/P engine, successfully sued Google, Microsoft, AOL and others using two patents related to search advertising. The plaintiff won approximately $30 million at trial in 2012. Google was asked to pay $15.8 million of…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

DeepMind Buy Another Google “Moonshot” Of Sorts

Re/code offers some additional insight into the $400+ million acquisition of artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepMind that was reported last week. The people at DeepMind will apparently work with the search team at Google but not exclusively: Or a…

Israel Wants To Tax Google To Support Local Content Publishers

A new bill making its way to Israel’s parliament (the Knesset) would assess a tax of 7 percent on search engine ad revenues to subsidize local content publishers. The story was reported in the Financial Times. While it’s not explicit or exclusive to any individual company, the bill has been…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

EU: Google Antitrust Concessions “Unacceptable” As Second Study Condemns “Rival Links”

European Union competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia announced Friday in a Spanish radio interview that Google’s second round of concessions in its current antitrust settlement proposal were “unacceptable.” The main obstacle to settlement is still Google’s treatment of…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

After Two Years Of Broken Promises, Does Google Need To Explain More to Maintain Trust In Search?

For two years running, Google’s broken major promises about search. It began doing paid inclusion in 2012, which it once called “evil.” This year, it’s experimenting with banner ads it said would never be allowed. Both represent major philosophical shifts for the company…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

European Publishers File New Antitrust Complaints Over Google News & Images

European newspapers, magazines and photographers are not happy with Google and how their content and images are shown in the Google search results. IDG News reports Google was slapped with a new antitrust complaint over Google Images. EMMA wrote that newspapers and magazines are “extremely…

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.