Thursday, March 31, 2011

Google (GOOG) Hasn't Been "Search" Company for Some Time

The idea that Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) is primarily a search company has been left in the dust long ago by the focus and performance of the company, but investors and onlookers continue to think of Google as a search company, when in fact the portion of revenue they generate from search has fallen to about 70 percent, according to its latest earnings report.

In the past Google had generated about 90 percent of its revenue from search, but realized long ago it had to change that in order to survive and thrive.

They have other advertising platforms as well, such as the increasingly popular YouTube, which appears to be turning a profit,

Google doesn't break down all of its ad network, and so we don't know the specific story in detail, but we do know the company is growing beyond its search business, which is good news for investors, even as search revenue continues to be robust.

The other big leg to the revenue picture is the emerging Android platform, which has soared to be the leading smartphone platform as to market share, although it's not as profitable as Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone at this time.

There is of course also Google Apps, which is also growing quickly.

The point is, search, while a vital piece of the revenue and earnings puzzle for Google, is slowing giving way to a growing number of products and services which is creating a solid moat for the company in more than one business. Good news for investors.

Just don't think of Google as just a search company anymore, as it skews what they have in fact become.

Google was trading at $587.34, gaining $5.50, or 0.95 percent, as of 1:53 PM EDT.

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