Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : SEO / SEM Discussions : Google is no more in "Search Marketing" business.

[Zafar Ahmed]

Google have just recently announced on their official Google Blog about selling off "Performics".

It’s clear to us that we do not want to be in the search engine marketing business. Maintaining objectivity in both search and advertising is paramount to Google’s mission and core to the trust we ask from our users. For this reason, we plan to sell the Performics search marketing business to a third party. We believe this will allow us to maintain objectivity and the search marketing business to continue to grow and innovate and serve its customers. While we have not yet identified a buyer, we’ve received preliminary interest from a number of our current partners. Search Marketing will continue to run as a separate entity until the division is sold.

Kudos to Google, a very wise decision indeed

What do you all think?

Discuss!

regards,
Zafar Ahmed

[Biju]

Why they want to go for a third party? That really puzzles me.

[BetaOrange]

They aren't, they just want to get rid of it to another buisness who can extend it, to focus on other things.

[Zafar Ahmed]

I just don't get one thing. Why did not they think of this before acquiring Performics?

[AHFBWEB]

lmao, you dont think they thought about it first? It happens everyday people buy businesses and sell the part they do not want.

[Zafar Ahmed]

Originally Posted by AHFB HTML

lmao, you dont think they thought about it first? It happens everyday people buy businesses and sell the part they do not want.

You did not understood my point, if Google knew this would create a "conflict of interest" - why did they buy it? -

[Melnel]

Google often buys things for which it has only minimal but critical use, such as Applied Semantics, which it bought primarily to get access to the technology which makes Adwords work.

In the same way there may have been other factors which influenced the decision to buy, but one you have it and are privvy to all the details you may not need it any longer.

[AHFBWEB]

Originally Posted by Zafar Ahmed

You did not understood my point, if Google knew this would create a "conflict of interest" - why did they buy it? -

I understood perfectly, you expect that because one aspect of the company will not be a good fit they should not buy it at all. They are not dumb enough to throw the baby out with the bath water and you do not grasp this.

[Feydakin]

I'm surprised that so many people see this as news.. I didn't think that there was any doubt that they would spin off the SEO portion of Double Click..

[nuclei]

Google thought hard about it before aquiring them. Then they took what they wanted from them, and now they are selling off the rest, whats so "good" about that? I see it as normal and smart business for them.

[incrediblehelp]

Originally Posted by Zafar Ahmed

You did not understood my point, if Google knew this would create a "conflict of interest" - why did they buy it? -

They bought Double Click for its online advertising and Performics affiliate network. I highly doubt they ever considered keeping the SEO part of Performics. They are already laying people off too.

[Biju]

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

They bought Double Click for its online advertising and Performics affiliate network. I highly doubt they ever considered keeping the SEO part of Performics. They are already laying people off too.

we’ve received preliminary interest from a number of our current partners.

Are there people to buy this out or its just google which is creating a hype!

[JRSEOMarketing]

I agree with what you say, and would like to add that SEO/SEM division within Google would have a conflict of interest. There are already people who believe that Adwords and the organic listings of google have conflicts of internet. Some people believe when you advertise on Adwords your organic listings will decrease a bit. I haven't seen concrete evidence either way.

Originally Posted by Feydakin

I'm surprised that so many people see this as news.. I didn't think that there was any doubt that they would spin off the SEO portion of Double Click..

[inway]

We need some Big Giant like Google in SEM and SE. Yahoo & MSN are asleep, in future they will be going to Sleep together in same bed LOL!

[Melnel]

Not quite sure what you mean inway, surely Google are pretty big in SEM - remember Adwords?