Google’s Decelerating Clicks

In February, Google’s paid-click was a disappointment for both analysts and investors, as the company’s shares dropped 3.1%. Analysts reason that economic weakness may cause Google to fall short of Wall Street’s first-quarter estimates. Many also argue that the effort by Google to trim the number of clicks would enable it to increase the charges per click.

Google’s shares have fallen to $444.08, a per-share decrease of more than 40%, since hitting an all time high of $747.24 back in November. Many analysts believe that Google will bounce back in the second half. Credit Suisse analyst Heath Terry said, “With a strong lead in both technology and innovation, we believe the company has significant opportunities to drive revenue growth in the local, mail, display and video advertising markets despite the difficult economic environment.”

Last year Google made it more difficult for consumers to accidentally click on ads by focusing on reducing the number of clicks. Rob Sanderson of American Technology Research argued, “The reduction in Google’s paid clicks was largely the result of the company’s own quality-improvement campaign and that the decline would be offset by higher prices per click.”

When we discussed this article in class, we questioned if any of us would buy Google stock right now. If I had the money to invest right now, I would not purchase Google stock, simply because of the rapid decline of the share price, as well as the overall state of the economy right now.