Is Google Inc (GOOG) Search Really Dead? No, It’s Just Like Bing

Differentiating Ads and Organic Search Results

The FTC wants all heavily trafficked search engines to better differentiate between ads and organic search, and that’s why in June they sent a letter to AOL, Ask.com, Bing, Blekko, DuckDuckGo, Google, Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) and 17 other search engines. The FTC letter will force search engines to use one or more consistent visual elements, as an industry-wide requirement, so consumers always know what is paid and what is organic.

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) does place paid search ads in large clumps above organic search results. Readers are capable of ignoring ads or using them, if the information is valuable. A year-old study from Wordstream found that 64.6% of people click on Google Ads when shopping for a product or service.

In the final analysis, relevance and helpfulness are the two most important elements in search. We can safely assume that Google wants to provide relevant, helpful results, whether paid or organic. Why? If the results don’t meet consumers’ demands, they take their business to a different search engine. Paid advertisements are targeted to your search, so they are still search results. If you’re adamantly opposed to advertisements, American search engines aren’t the place for you.

By The Numbers

Through all the grappling, Google hasn’t lost any market share to Bing. The latest comScore data ranking search engine market share shows that Google is steady at 66.7% of the market, while Bing and Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) have traded 0.5% of share, with Bing at 17.9% of searches and Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) now at 11.4% share. In effect, Microsoft is swapping market share with Yahoo. The two companies haven’t figured out how to better monetize search, which Yahoo’s new CEO Marissa Mayer lamented earlier this year. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is still the force to be reckoned with in search, paid or organic.

The article Is Google Search Really Dead? No, It’s Just Like Bing originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Gretchen Stone.

Gretchen Stone has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Google. The Motley Fool owns shares of Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). Gretchen is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network — entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.

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