GOOG 4th Quarter 2008: 'Strongest on record'?

InformationWeek cites AdGooroo data

[signor_john]

InformationWeek quotes AdGooroo, an SEM research firm, as predicting that 4Q 2008 will be "the strongest quarter on record for Google and Microsoft Live Search."

According to the InformationWeek article [informationweek.com], Google showed 58 percent growth in the average number of ads on the first SERP for each keyword or keyphrase monitored by AdGoorooo. (The comparison was for 4th quarter vs. 3rd quarter ads.)

Microsoft Live Search also did well, using AdGooroo's metric (42.3 percent), while Yahoo was up only slightly from the 3rd to 4th quarter.

Google's official 4th quarter results will be released on January 22.

[Shaddows]

<joke>
See. Google is becoming a monopoly that is intent on taking over the world :p

I bet they're creating the global recession, for some nefarious reason we can't yet divine. Indeed, someone probably already knows... you just cant search for it!</joke>

Pretty impressive results though... although does [ads per first SERP] translate into higher revenues, or just more bidders (potentially bidding far less)?

[shorebreak]

In past quarters - Q4 '07 & Q1 '08 specifically - changes in coverage that Google implemented had their effect in the quarter subsequent to implementation, and I'd expect this Q4 '08 coverage change to be no different. G's jacking up coverage to hide big decreases in the CPC's us advertisers are willing to pay, which in turn are due to consumers' buying intent shriveling up like a cold day at Ocean Beach...

[signor_john]

MediaPost's Online Media Daily has an article today (January 20) that discusses the strong growth of search-ad spending in the 4th quarter [mediapost.com] with a drop in the average cost per click.