DoubleClick Acquisition Includes Performics - SEO Firm

[digitalv]

So now Google owns DoubleClick (acquired for $3.1 Billion), but what some people don't realize is that DoubleClick owned a search optimization company called Performics [performics.com], and thus Performics is now owned by Google.

What many people failed to realize was that when Google purchased DoubleClick, it now was also the owner of a very large search engine optimization company called Performics, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of DoubleClick.

Amercian Chronicle story [americanchronicle.com]

In the Google SEO guidelines, they claim not to have any relationships with any SEO's and doesn't offer recommendations. They also claim not to sell better ranking within their results. Technically though, now anyone who hires Performics is paying Google for better search engine placement.

On the official Google/Doubleclick acquisition faq:

Q: What will Google do with Performics?
A. Performics is part of DoubleClick, and we are acquiring it as part of the transaction. We have no plans to dispose of it at this time.

Interesting...

[edited by: tedster at 10:29 pm (utc) on Nov. 16, 2007]
[edit reason] attribute quotes [/edit]

[tedster]

I'm not sure what's going on here, but the FAQ seems to have changed in the time since the American Chronicle article was written - or maybe the article was just quoting earlier materials about this topic from last spring and they didn't re-verify the quote.

Here's what Google's "acquisition FAQ paper" says now:

Q. What will Google do with Performics?
A. They have built a strong business that is valued by their clients, and we will be evaluating all strategic alternatives for this business. We are committed to continuing to meet the needs of Performics clients, and we expect no interruption in service during this transition. Google has many important agency, SEM, and other partner relationships, and we continue to value those relationships.

[services.google.com...]

[smallcompany]

Hopefully this will give them a better insight into affiliate business. Not that they did not have it, but still this should be a good way of getting own feet wet. Just a thought.

[mikey158]

If I'm not mistaken, this acquisition is far from complete?

[iblaine]

How much of an SEO company is Performics? They originally got into the SEO/SEM business because they're an affiliate network with clients that need SEM/SEO services. Valueclick has a search optimization offering but it's not very mature...their PPC management is ok but last I checked a year ago, they didn't have a single client for natural SEO services. Performics has a more mature offering but Performics is first and foremost an affiliate network. I wonder if you have to sign up as a publisher on the performics network in order to use their SEO/SEM services of it's something that's completely detached from their ad network.

[tedster]

If you follow the very first link in the opening post, it takes you to the Performics page about their organic SEO services. No matter how they got into the business and no matter what proportion of their company is involved in organic search, there's no doubt that they are pitching organic SEO as stand-alone service.

DoubleClick Performics’ solutions focus on the three main drivers of natural search:

Indexation: Modification of URL structure and navigation for optimal engine crawlability

Content Optimization: Align existing content to relevant search queries

Link Building: Improve link structure to drive traffic

[digitalghost]

Performics added a new definition to indexation.

I can find fault with a lot of things that G does, but I don't for a minute think they would show favoritism to sites optimized by Performics. In fact, I would run away from Performics if I were an SME looking for an optimization service as the scrutiny might be more than a site should have to bear.

[Compworld]

Google did not successfully acquire DoubleClick as of yet. EU still has denied it. It seems the EU is our last hope in stopping a merger like this. If it would go through, the advertising world would be turned upside down.

[CainIV]

Never read in the rule book where it mentioned anyone online, including Google, had to 'play fair' :P

[panic]

Google did not successfully acquire DoubleClick as of yet. EU still has denied it. It seems the EU is our last hope in stopping a merger like this. If it would go through, the advertising world would be turned upside down.

Truth. How it'll all play out, we'll soon see - but I can see advertisers avoiding Performics because of the conflict of interest.

[Whitey]

I'd think that this acquistion was simply an accident resulting from the main game of buying DoubleClick.

Even thogh there's a perceived conflict of interest, I'd expect Chinese Walls to be in place ie no access to "secret soup" recipes in the Google algo or favouritism. Not even Google employees close to search quality probably know the inner workings accurately of Google's algo.

But that's just me with a huge assumption [ which could be wrong ] :)

[mattg3]

Google did not successfully acquire DoubleClick as of yet. EU still has denied it. It seems the EU is our last hope in stopping a merger like this. If it would go through, the advertising world would be turned upside down.

It's time to stop them. Wow, I am impressed that someone in Brussels actually does something to prevent a near total Google takeover.

I've now started an offline business just to get away from the ever increasing Googlification of everything and anything.

I don't want to plan the rest of my life around them.

[skibum]

It seems kinds of "evil" for Googe to own a company that specifically optimizes sites for better rankings in its own organic listings.

That being said, I kinda doubt Performics offers very robust optimization services. From what I saw of their accounts years ago, the biz model was sign up a big brand for PPC & affiliate, work on a rev share, buy the brand terms for the merchant, make 60-90% of the PPC account money from that and give the rest of the keyword/copy build out minimal attention because it doesn't add to much to the rev share compared to the effort it takes to do it really well.

[Whitey]

That being said, I kinda doubt Performics offers very robust optimization services.

This looks spot on.

I think the best SEO comes from the smaller consultancies or business units within large enterprises. Why? Because they earn more money than working for large firms that try to mass produce skills.

[vincevincevince]

Secret sauce may not be available; but how about just letting Performics do 'test runs' on the algorithm... after all as a part of Google now it's important that they ensure that changes to their client's sites are tested before release.

[Tidal2]

Google could easily of course 'encourage' Performics to do a management buyout or even sell them on. Its not the core business after all and not worth the risk of potential embarrassment in my opinion.

[digitalv]

Well, it's approved now.

[potentialgeek]

Good thread re-start!

[WiseWebDude]

Yea, I do think that is a conflict of interest there though. Doesn't look good when the people who OWN the biggest search in the world have an SEO company...that is far too iffy for me. Of course, Google knows it's own algorithm and their secrets...

[ibQuixote]

When SEO is said in this string do you also mean PPC optimization? I know Performics' clients pay Performics to do their PPC search marketing on Google (and presumably other search engines) To me, this is the conflict. Now you have an advertiser paying Google's Performics division agency fees to place sponsored ads on Google. Thats a rats nest of entangled conflicts of interests. I dont think Google wants to be a client to itself, and the affiliate business is chump change to them anyway. I say Performics goes.... And to where, you ask?....

Good question. Did you know that the founder of Performics,James Crouthamel, was recently appointed to the board of directors at ValueClick (owner of Commission Junction) ValueClick repeately states publicly that they want to buy Performics from Google. This would be good for Google and good for ValueClick and good for PPC because now Google would have a huge client controlling and facilitating a lot of PPC on Google, that could help uphold ethical PPC practices.

My prediction is that withing 4 months, Performics goes to ValueClick.

[tedster]

Today the official Google blog cleared the air about their acquisition of Performics. Google is splitting off the search marketing section of Performics and selling it, but keeping the affiliate marketing part:

Since we closed the acquisition of DoubleClick on March 11, we’ve been immersed in integration planning for each of our products and business units. Recently we completed this process for the DoubleClick Performics businesses, and have decided to split them into two separately-run business units: Affiliate Marketing and Search Marketing.

It’s clear to us that we do not want to be in the search engine marketing business.

[googleblog.blogspot.com...]

There's a thread about this news over in our Google Finance and Business Operations forum:
[webmasterworld.com...]