Corporate Strategy Case Study

Google: Challenges Ahead

OR

Abstract:
Established in 1998, Google is perceived as one of the most successful Internet start-ups Silicon Valley had ever seen. In its initial years, Google virtually had no competition and hence became the 'chosen search engine' among the Internet users. The success of Google prompted the likes of Yahoo! and Microsoft to launch their own search engines, thereby intensifying the competition. Many more search engines followed suit as they saw an opportunity to generate revenues through the search results. Whether Google can weather the competition and still remain dominant is a question that is of interest to many, especially in the wake of its plans for an Initial Public Offering.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To discuss how Google and the search engine industry have evolved over the years
• To discuss the revenue generation model adopted by the search engines like the Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising that provided better returns on advertising expenditure compared to other forms of on-line advertisements
• To discuss how PPC has attracted competition to the search engine space

Keywords : Google, Search engines, Overture, Yahoo!, Competitive Strategies Case Study, Microsoft, Pay-Per-Click, (PPC), How pay-per-click works, Google, Overture and PPC, Competition in search engine market, Traditional view, Distribution for search engines, Google's Initial Public Offering (IPO), Google's acquisitions