What now for Google?

• Aug. 24, 2004

What would you do if you have almost US$29 billion in the bank? If you are Page and Brin of Google, you look at the competition. At least, that is what I would do if I have that much money burning a hole in my pocket.
 
 So what should they buy in order to remain competitive?
 
 Let's take a look at what Yahoo! has and what Google doesn't.
 
 First, and foremost, they are a portal - a one stop shop for all your web needs. They even have My Yahoo! in which you can customize the content and look of your own page. They have an IM (Instant Messenger) program, as well as a bunch of e-commerce options including auctions, classifieds, and travel, as well as job listings.
 
 Of course there is tons of stuff that Yahoo! does that Google doesn't do so I'm going to start with the list I have above.
 
 Should Google create a portal? That is a big debate. Personally, I think if they do, it has to be built on their strength - that is search.
 
 And if you think about it, they could build a portal built on search and it would be better than anyone out there. Simply because it wouldn't necessarily have to be Yahoo! approved content (in the case of Yahoo!). Google could offer content from all over the web, and centralize it into a single portal.
 
 In essence - the portal would merely be a series of placeholders in which you would place the content you want from literally thousands of sites out there, as opposed to the dozen or two that Yahoo! and MSN offer.
 
 But how do you make money on a portal? Well you can't really, unless of course you have certain areas which cannot be customized, such as having AdWords running down the right side (as they currently do on their search site and the Gmail site). But how else would they make money?
 
 One of the first things that come to mind is travel. While online travel has gone through a bit of a slump the last couple of years, it is on the rebound. The thing is, unless you shop ½ dozen sites you could miss the best deal.
 
 Which is why if Google built a travel site on top of search, similar to Froogle, they could win the online travel wars.
 
 By performing a search based on where you want to go (and how) and how long you want to stay - typical of most travel and accommodation sites - you would be presented a list of options from various travel suppliers, and not just the big ones.
 
 Done properly, the novice traveler could easily plan and book a business trip or vacation anywhere around the world.
 
 Of course Google could monetize this. They would already have AdWords along the right and they would offer free XML feeds to vendors who have very dynamic sites.
 
 If done correctly, the site could be pulled together much like the competitors travel sites where you could pick your preferences and order online. They could even set up a system where the reservations happen on the Google end and they get paid a commission for the bookings.
 
 Another area which could be highly profitable for them would be auctions. Ebay has made a fortune on online auctions and their way of making money is to charge a percentage on every item sold.
 
 Google could build an auction site around search quite easily and have a similar system whereby they charge a percentage.
 
 Of course there is other non-moneymaking areas they could work towards - job finding, date finding, movie listings etc. etc. All these could be easily built around their core competency - search.
 
 Once you have some or all of these, guess what you have? The makings of a search portal.
 
 Rob Sullivan
 Production Manager
 Searchengineposition.com
 Enquiro.com