From: Google shares plummet after disappointing earnings

“Management said economic turmoil in the United States and parts of Europe appears to be causing consumers to click less frequently on the ads that generate virtually all its profits.”

That’s an interesting statement… I wonder how the economic downturn really effects click rates. I can certainly understand how it would effect actual consumer spending – but I wonder how it effects browsing and click throughs?

I would think, if anything, the economic challenges would have an effect on the types of ads. Which is probably why the article also states ‘Google managers said they expect the Mountain View-based company will thrive even if the economy weakens further.’

That’s the fascinating thing about a company like google – they have all of the data one could imagine – not just static economic data, but live streaming user-behavior data. In other words, as users change their behaviors and habits, it seems to me that google is well position to likewise shift gears and follow the trends.

Did you know that most web analytics programs can tell you what people are searching for when they come to your site from a search engine?

Since so much traffic comes from this source, it’s worth taking the time to research this a bit.

Likewise, did you know that google has a page where you can see broad search trends in near real time?

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I have been reading and studying google adsense tips and tricks lately. While reading many opinions and articles, I have stumbled across what appears to be several common themes, and not surprisingly – this seems to be pretty common sense stuff.

The fact is – the longer I work with these ideas, the more I see that they do indeed work. Patience is a virtue, and in this case, a solid investment as well.

Although these ideas probably apply to other advertising programs as well, for the sake of this post, I thought it best to focus on what I have some experience with. (more…)