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  • Infographic: Google's Revenue

    BusinessMBA.org puts Google's revenue and global power in context with this remarkable infographic. Those of us who work in the online media world are especially struck by the reality that Google's massive (beyond massive, really) revenue figures are still almost completely driven by advertising. Take a look (hat tip Barry Ritholtz ) From: BusinessMBA.org

  • Roger McNamee on the Internet's Big Shift

    Roger McNamee has been a leading investor in science and technology for thirty years. Lately, he has been telling people we are on the verge of a new tech cycle--one that will change the way that we interact with technology, with businesses, and with each other. And while he can't put his finger on exactly what is happening, he has six "hypotheses" that he says we should be watching and testing. McNamee discussed these hypotheses in a talk at TEDxSantaCruz :

  • Report from Google on Brands, The Internet, and Word of Mouth

    Google and the Kay Feller Group released a report earlier this month on how reliant brands remain on conversation. The authors title the report "Word of Mouth and the Internet," and they find that most Word of Mouth conversations are still conducted the old fashioned way--face to face. But the Internet is vital to brand impressions in those conversations. It is the primary source of information for those conversations, surpassing television and other forms of news media. It is also where people turn for information following up a word of mouth conversation. And for the moment, according to this Google funded study, search still dominates social media as the place people are getting most of their information. You can read the report here , and watch the following video for a good summary of the findings:

  • IAB Report Shows 15% Growth in Internet Advertising Revenue for 2010

    As expected, 2010 was a strong year for online ad revenue. A new report from IAB shows Internet advertising revenue topped $26 billion last year. That represents a 15% increase over 2009, and puts . Here's a look at revenue over the last 10 years: Nearly half the online ad revenue comes through search, which has, for the most part, been the dominant revenue stream over the last five years. But there were some positive signs of growth in other areas, namely display banners and rich media/digital video: Internet advertising revenue passed newspaper ad revenue in 2010, and now the only medium still ahead of online is television, with $28.6 billion in revenue in 2010. It is hard to imagine Internet ad revenue not toppling TV for the top spot in 2011, and likely by a large margin. Read the full report here .

  • CNN Money: Early Impact of Changes to Google's Secret Search Formula

    One small step for Google , one big leap (or fall) for many businesses. Google made a change to its search algorithm at the end of February . The idea was to improve search results by moving high-quality content sites (rather than content farms and other sites that are simply working the SEO system) up on the list of search responses. Now, according to CNN Money 's David Goldman , we're starting to see results. Google's change appears to have most harmed so-called "content farms" like Mahalo, which critics say amass content for the sole purpose of luring in search-engine traffic. Sites like Mahalo.com, Wisegeek.com, Ezinearticles.com and Yahoo's (YHOO, Fortune 500) Associated Content were among the biggest losers in the algorithm tweak. Google-generated traffic to each dropped more than 75%, according to software firm Sistrix. Interestingly, Demand Media (DMD) -- one of the most oft-criticized content farms --appears to have gotten off relatively scot-free. Its most prominent site, eHow.com, even grew its traffic after the algorithm change, though some others like AnswerBag.com and Trails.com dropped off. The biggest beneficiaries seem to be originators of what Google calls "high-quality" content, which the company defines as "information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on." Traffic to sites that belong to the Online Publishers Association grew between 5% and 50% the day after Google's tweak, according to Pam Horan, president of the OPA. Read Google's code change shifts billions from losers to winners here .

  • Google Revenue Up 17% in 4th Quarter

    Google rode strong advertising income to revenues of $6.67 billion last quarte r. That marked a 17% increase from October. Net profits were $1.97 billion. And while the figures were not as high as many investors expected--Google shares fell 5% late yesterday--the Wall Street Journal 's Julia Angwin finds it remarkable that the internet giant can still be viewed as a "growth" company, even as it controls two-thirds of the search market. Angwin and Barron 's Eric Savitz discuss the earnings report and other Google news at the Wall Street Journal's News Hub :

  • Google vs. China

    Google is threatening to do something that very very few large companies would dare--leave the China market. The giant of the Internet announced yesterday that it would "stop cooperating with Chinese Internet censorship and consider shutting down its operations," according to the New York Time s. In 2006, Google agreed to purge results of government-banned topics from its searches in China. But after a Google investigation allegedly revealed that a series of cyberattacks on computer systems in California that targeted Chinese human rights activists, Google made its move. This seems to raise the question now of who needs whom more: Google or the Chinese market. The Wall Street Journal 's Hong Kong bureau chief Peter Stein spoke with Journal technology reporter Andrew LaVallee about the news:

  • Maximum Bing for Small Business

    Microsoft's new search engine, Bing , has been up and running a week now. It is too early to gauge whether or not it will take over as the number two search engine, or even starts to challenge Google, but it appears to be getting some serious traffic . And that means companies and entrepreneurs are sorting out how to maximize their profile on Bing. Lisa Barone of Small Business Trends says it is time for small business owners to make sure they have listings through Bing's Local Listing Center : It’s really important that you take the time to complete accurate business listings in Google, Yahoo, Bing and the other third-party service providers. The more accurate information there is about your company out there, the better chances your customers are going to find you. And when it only takes a few minutes, is there really any excuse not to give your Web site the best possible chance at ranking? No. There’s not. Barone walks through the simple steps for creating a listing. Read her post here .

  • Local Search Guide for Small Business

    Lisa Barone of Small Business Trends strongl y recommends that business owners David Mihm 's Local Search Ranking Factors --just updated this week for 2009. Mihm's report is a comprehensive guide to all things search, built on a new study of Google Maps , interviews with the heads of Google Maps and Yahoo Local , and surveys of top "bloggers and practitioners." From Barone's testimonial: One of the most interesting things I got from David’s guide was the growing importance of getting local citations for your Web site. Citations are mentions of your business name and address on other Web pages. That means in order to rank well in local search you should be reaching out to the many local organizations around you and letting them know your business exists. Get a mention from your Chamber of Commerce, from local blogs, local directories and resource sites, your school board association and anywhere else local business information is found. These citations are relatively easy to get (small businesses owners love helping one another out) and they’re very powerful to the local search algorithms. Read Barone's full post here .