Google wins AOL Europe's sponsored search business

AOL Europe announced this morning that Google (GOOG) will provide sponsored search results across their online properties in Europe. Google already provides natural search results for AOL Europe. They will displace Overture (owned by Yahoo! (YHOO ) ) as AOL Europe's paid search provider. Google already provides natural and paid search results for AOL in the U.S.

This is a relatively big win for Google as Overture had this contract since January 2002. Lehman Brother's analyst Douglas Anmuth estimates this will reduce Yahoo!'s net revenue about $20-30 million in 2005 and increase Google's net revenue by $12-16 million in 2005. The reason for the difference is because Google probably agreed to share a greater percentage of the paid search revenue to gain the business. Google shares about 80% of it's AdSense revenue with its partners based on Google's financial reports.

Google will report earnings after the close of the market on Thurs. Oct 21st.

Read the AOL Europe press release here.

Google Desktop Search: Initial Thoughts

It looks like Google Desktop is going to be the next killer app. Google really beat Microsoft to the punch.

I just installed it on my PC a few hours ago. It installs very quickly and smoothly. The first thing it does is create an index of all your files and emails on your PC. This takes a few hours, but it does it in the background, and you can still use your computer in the meantime.

Once it's installed, any search you do at google.com will also include search results from your PC. Beyond ordinary text files, the search includes Word files, Excel files, PowerPoint presentations, and even Outlook emails.

As an example, one search I did came up with an email as the best match. I just clicked on the link and my email shows up in my browser immediately. No more hunting through Outlook to find that email you wrote last year. There is also a reply link which will start up Outlook to compose a reply.

I highly recommend that you install this program!

Get it at http://desktop.google.com.

Google Launches Desktop Search

Google today launched a beta version of a new, free program called Google Desktop Search. This application integrates search to allow a user to search virtually everything on their PC and on the web at the same time. This is a feature which Microsoft has said will be included in the next version on Windows.

Download the program at http://desktop.google.com.

Read the press release here.

Yahoo! Reports 3rd Quarter Earnings

Yahoo! reported that earnings for the three months ending Sept. 30th were $253 million or $0.17 per share. This compares to $65 million or $0.05 cents per share in 3Q 2003. Revenues were $907 million ($655 million after excluding Traffic Acquistion Costs (TAC) i.e. money paid to affiliate site which show pay per click ads). Revenue (excluding TAC) was an 84% increase over third quarter 2003.

A large part of this quarter's earnings was a gain from selling Google (GOOG) shares in its IPO. Yahoo! sold 2.317 million shares at $82.6161 netting them $191.4 million. After accounting for the original cost of the investment and tax benefits associated with old capital losses Yahoo! had on their books, this sale contributed $129 million to this quarter's earnings. Excluding this gain, third quarter earnings were $124 million or $0.09 cents per share. Still a nice increase of 90% over the same period last year.

As of Sept. 30, 2004, Yahoo! still held 5.882 million shares of Google worth $762.28 million.

See the complete press release here.

3rd Quarter Earnings Announcement Dates for Search Engine Companies

Here are 3rd quarter earnings announcement dates for search engine (and related) companies:

October 12: Yahoo! - YHOO (After the market)
October 21: Google - GOOG (After the market)
October 21: Amazon.com - AMZN (After the market)
October 27: Ask Jeeves - ASKJ (After the market)

Search Engine Watch launchs a blog

Search Engine Watch recently launched its own blog to communicate their latest news about search engines. It looks to be a great way to find the latest news in this area.

Related links:

Search Engine Watch Blog

Google SMS now available in beta version

Now you can use your cell phone to search Google via text messaging. Send a text message to 46645 (GOOG on a phone keypad.), and in a few seconds Google will send a text message back with your search results.

Find out more at http://www.google.com/sms.

Google expands search to include printed books with Google Print

While still in beta, Google is now publicly soliciting publishers to submit their books to Google so they can be scanned and included in Google. Now when you use Google to search the internet, Google will also search printed books for matches. If a match results, you can actually read pages out of the book.

Google is trying to entice publishers to send in their books by offering to share revenue generated on the book page with the publishers. Also, publishers are able to place a link on the page directing the user directly to a publishers website to purchase the book.

Find out more at http://www.google.com/print.

Publishers can sign up for the program at https://www.google.com/publisher.