Google’s 4th Quarter 2011 Financial results

Google will release its 4th quarter 2011 financial results today.  They continue to drive a strong revenue and bottom line.  One of the key numbers they always release is their ”TAC” or Traffic Acquisition Cost.    This little gem  is not buried deep in the financials, it is always in the first two or three paragraphs of the press release.

“Google reported revenues of $9.72 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, an increase of 33%
compared to the third quarter of 2010. Google reports its revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis
without deducting traffic acquisition costs (TAC). In the third quarter of 2011,
TAC totaled $2.21 billion, or 24% of advertising revenues.”

TAC is the portion of revenue that they share with publishers like www.nytimes.com (check the bottom right corner), local papers thechronicleherald.ca  and  anyone who who displays “Ads by Google.”

This works out to a little short of a billion dollars every month or $23 million per day in revenu for content publishers.

Anyone can participate in a share of this cash.  My page RV Replacement Skylight has generated up to $50 per month (and as little as $5 per month.)  It is easy.    Give AdSense

3 Steps for Every Page

The first step in good Search Engine Optimization is Content.  You need good content.  Focus each web page on communicating a single idea.  One thought, one call to action.    Face it, our attention span on the web is short.  So make sure each page communicates the follow three things:

1. Where am I?
2. What do you want me to do?
3. Why should I do it?

Communicate what kind of page this is (educational, are you selling something,  are you government or non-profit).   What is it you want the visitor to do.  Make it very clear.

Most important is the Why?  Make sure the reason for the call to action is clear.

These three simple steps create successful web pages.

John Leahy Search Engine Guy

It is about Business.  Getting the work done.    I have been involved in the building of almost 1000 websites over the last 12 years, and I have learned that  successful websites are built on five fundamental pillars:

• Excellent and Engaging Site Design
• Easy to Use and Full Featured Content Management System
• Accessible and Responsive Support
• Search Optimization and Integration with Social Media
• Integration with Business Systems