What’s Going on at Google

by: iCopywriter Senior Blogger, Gaia Veenis

There’s always something new going on at Google; that’s how this Silicon Valley company has remained the biggest search engine on the planet for so many years. Some of the most notable recent changes from Google are a new premium service charge for websites using the Google Maps API, the introduction of Google Analytics Premium and the birth of Google+.

New Premium Services from Google Coming Soon

Since its inception, Google has been known for its free services, but some of that is set to change on the first day of 2012. On Jan. 1, the Google Maps API will become a premium service for some of the websites that use it. Hotel chains, travel agencies and similar types of companies will pay $4 for every 1,000 views on the Google Maps feature; not a hefty fee, but for a website that sees a lot of traffic, it could add up rather quickly. For many sites, however, this service will be well worth the cost.

Keep in mind that the map feature will still be free for up to 25,000 map views each day. In other words, regular Internet users don’t need to worry about the fee; less than 1 percent of users, mostly in high-traffic business sectors, are expected to be affected.

Another premium service from Google is the analytics tool, Google Analytics Premium, which is popular among businesses that rely heavily on search engine marketing. The costs for these premium services are also not likely to affect the average user. 

Google Enters the Social Media World

No one can deny the power of Google in the Internet space, but until this year, it has not had much stake in the social networking revolution. With the inception of Google+, all that has changed. This social networking site, among other features, gives users the power to endorse any website or business by simply clicking the +1 button that appears next to search results for users who are part of Google+. The site has been slow to pick up momentum, possibly because of the fact that it was exclusively invite-only for some time and has seen some development issues, but since the invite-only feature was removed, it has continued to grow. Now that Google+ and the +1 feature have been introduced, there seems to be more power in the hands of marketers and consumers alike to influence search results and market trends. 

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