Google all over the news…

Google really made it to the news today (again…).

One story is on how the protein-drinkers in Mountainview now have edged ahead of Microsoft as the world’s most visited Internet property. “It’s official: Google rules the world,” Verne Kopytoff with San Fransisco Chronicle writes referring to a new report from online measurement firm comScore. According to the report Google had 528 million unique visitors in March, up 5 percent from the previous month (Microsoft had 527 million visitors during the same month, up 3.7 percent). Kopytoff also mentions a recenty released survey from British market research company Millward Brown naming Google the most powerful brand in 2007  – ahead of GE, Microsoft and Coca-Cola.

Simultaniously John Lou at Bloomberg.com reports that Google just won the right to sell advertising on 400 Web sites owned by China Telecom Corp, and thereby will be “helping it compete with Microsoft Corp. and dominant local rival Baidu.com Inc. in the world’s second-biggest Internet market”.

And CNET:s News.com brakes the story on a new band between Google and the Intels Inside-campaign. Reporter Elinor Mills describes it as “a co-marketing initiative that will allow makers and sellers of Intel-based laptops and other computers to easily buy keyword-based search advertising and online display ads for branding through Google’s AdWords system”.

Except for bosting the Google-stock, the headlines leads to a few reflections. One is on how the advertising-market more extensivly goes online. The next step would of course be online video, an area of development for us at Podtech.net. There are many roads to travel in this hugely undiscovered area.  Expect to see more money flow to online and look for Google to start using its market power to dictate how money is spent offline. 

So what does the Intel/Google-deal really mean? At SearchEngineLand Barry Swartz shares his analysis: Google and Intel will work together to build “what I believe to be an add on to their reseller and channel intranet, enabling resellers to easily market their Intel based computers via Google AdWords,” he writes.

At Search Engine Journal Arnold Zafra notes that Google is all out in its drive towards maximum profit from its advertising product which is raking in millions of bucks for itself. “I just can’t help but wonder, which avenue has Google ads not penetrated yet? No wonder, it has become the number one highly visited site today,” he writes. Allen Stern at Centernetworks.com  has simular thoughts: “I just can’t imagine another company in the world that touches any Internet user. Is there a way to never use anything Google,” he asks.

So many bloggers praise Google. At IP Democracy Cynthia Brumfield is balancing it out. This is all really great for Google but…if the knives were out for the phenomenally successful company before, these latest accolades are only going to make the envy-driven hatred of Google all that much stronger, she concludes.

By John Furrier and Tina Magnergard Bjers