New Tool from Google

The front section of Business Day in the New York Times today featured an article on Google’s new search-within-search tool. The tool allows users to search within a specified webpage for a certain item. In the example given by the NYTimes, a user would go to Google, type in “New York Times” and a secondary search window would pop up, allowing the user to make the search more specific, say by adding “jobs” or “real estate”. While it initially seems pretty harmless to companies and beneficial to consumers, Google is monetizing the tool by showing related advertisements to these directed searches. In the example above, the user would be directed to the NYTimes Jobs site, but would also see related ads for CareerBuilder.com or Monster.com.

I found this move by Google fascinating as it, yet again, changes the game for companies and for advertisers. Now, even when a user searches for your company by name, Google will place you head-to-head with your competition for that user’s attention. The move, of course, benefits Google as it is able to sell more ad space and consumers who are able to sift through information at a faster pace. However, it may also benefit smaller companies going up against bigger names as it gives them the ability to capitalize on a big company’s brand. Obviously, many big companies will be upset by this move, purely because of the increased competition for its consumers. However, I wonder how much of an effect it will actually have on sales. In my opinion, while consumers may be temporarily distracted, they will probably come back to the original site purchasing or consuming the information they had originally intended. I think only time will tell, but I imagine that the biggest impact will be on smaller companies who can now achieve exposure in concentrated markets which was not possible previously. And of course, Google will rake in the advertising revenue, yet again.