Google is ready to welcome the post-search era

On May 7th, according to foreign media reports, Google made a living from advertising businesses including display advertising and search advertising, which “everyone on Earth knows”. In the first quarter of Google's $ 15.42 billion (about 94.93 billion yuan) revenue, search advertising accounted for a large proportion? CEO Larry Page did not disclose relevant data, but it is safe to say that search advertising still occupies a very high proportion in Google’s revenue.

Market research firm eMarketer estimates that Google’s search advertising revenue this year will increase by approximately US$1.0 billion (approximately RMB 6.16 billion) to US$ 15 billion (approximately RMB 92.35 billion) from 2013. In the first quarter of Yahoo's 1.13 billion US dollars (about 6.96 billion yuan) revenue, the proportion of search advertising business more than one-third. In the major advertising giant's advertising business revenue, the secondary business from the search business may occupy a higher proportion. However, if the search business begins to plummet - or even completely disappear, what kind of consequences will occur?

What is the problem?

The long-standing concern for the search advertising business is that more and more netizens have shifted from desktops to mobile devices. Mobile device users use search engines less frequently than PC users, and they use applications more. According to a mobile industry leader, Android smart phone users access the search engine through the browser on average only 1.25 times a day.

In spite of Yahoo’s “contrary to the trend” in the first quarter, search advertising revenue grew by 5% to $445 million (approximately RMB2.74 billion), and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer Still aware of the imminent crisis. Not only is Yahoo actively expanding its content business and transforming it into a content provider, the two companies are also working hard to boost the mobile business.

According to eMarketer, Google's move to facilitate the development of mobile business - essentially forced advertisers to buy desktop ads to buy mobile advertising, helps to offset the weakness of mobile search advertising. Product listing ads contain images that are better for advertisers.

Neither Google nor Yahoo got rid of the predicament, but they all thought they found a way to understand the difficulties. Given that Meyer had been in charge of Google’s product division for many years, it was not surprising.

solution

The landslide of mobile search is a big problem for Google and Yahoo, right? This is indeed the case if it were not "contextual search" or what Meyer referred to as "contextual discovery" in 2010. According to Mayer, 4 years ago, the context found "something not searched directly to obtain search results" means.

Meyer mentioned some examples of contextual search. For example, when a user goes to a restaurant and does not need to search, the smart phone will automatically display the restaurant's menu. When Google launched a voice search service a year ago, Google released a discounted version of the context search function. The real future version of the search is Google's Now, Now is not the ultimate goal of contextual search, but it is closer to this goal.

Mayer is still "look for search" and hopes to continue to increase search advertising revenue, especially mobile search advertising. Google also did not give up the search business, because the search business is too important to it. Therefore, the search for "disappearance" may be overstated. But Google and Yahoo understand that tomorrow’s search will not be the same as today. Some users may feel uncomfortable about knowing their wishes ahead of the smartphone, but this is technological progress. Whether you accept it or not, it is there.