What is Google's strategy?Reducing Google's strategy to just one thing is impossible, but Internet marketers (and search marketers in particular) should think about the direction Google wants to take the industry, because Even if Google ultimately can't go where it wants, the industry will be changed anyway. Looking at Google helps us understand not only where Google is going, but also where others might be going. So what's behind all the actions Google has taken over the years? Some of the motivations are simple. Google's revenue is based on advertising. The company therefore needs more and more places to display its ads in order to increase its revenue. So it makes sense to expand its reach through its AdSense contextual advertising network. The same goes for its acquisition of DoubleClick. Both of these measures allow Google to place ads on web properties that it does not own. Likewise, Google regularly acquires properties that serve as sites for its ads, such as Blogger and YouTube. Google has also launched new offerings that attract audiences for its ads, such as Gmail. But Google's strategy is much richer than simply adding new sites for the same type of ads it serves on search results pages. Google knows that the reason its ads fetched higher prices (compared to banner ads) is because Google ads grab the customer's attention. When someone searches for something, they are interested in ads, whereas people online may not be. Google understands that attention to a post is a critical part of why it has high value to an advertiser. The attention is therefore not limited to real estate. Running a display ad does not guarantee true customer attention. True attention is a function of relevance. Google already attracts attention with its search ads, a...... middle of paper ...... would not be enough to persuade people to part with their privacy. Even ongoing work is slow because researchers do not understand the benefits of personalized research. Google is well aware of this danger, so it remains to be seen whether it can escape it. It's always dangerous to try to summarize a company's entire strategy in a short blog post. Google's strategy is much more diffuse and nuanced than that. But it helps us try to simplify things to their essence, even at the risk of oversimplifying, because it helps us understand the forces at work in Internet marketing. Understand that what Google wants to do may not happen, but it will certainly affect what others do and what ultimately happens in Internet marketing. If you pay attention to these major themes when thinking about your marketing strategy, you will be better prepared for any eventuality..