Profile: Google Inc (GOOG.O)

Google Inc. (Google), incorporated in September 4, 1998, is a global technology company focused on improving the ways people connect with information. The Company generates revenue primarily by delivering online advertising. As of December 31, 2011, the Company’s business was focused on areas, such as search, advertising, operating systems and platforms, and enterprise. Businesses use its AdWords program to promote their products and services with targeted advertising. In addition, the third parties that comprise the Google Network use its AdSense program to deliver relevant advertisements that generate revenue. In June 2011, the Company launched Google+, a way to share online. As of January 2012, over 90 million people had joined Google+. In April 2011, the Company acquired PushLife. In September 2011, the Company acquired Zagat. In December 2011, the Company, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (together with its affiliates, KKR), and Recurrent Energy announced an investment in a portfolio of solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities serving the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD). In May 2012, Google Inc. acquired Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc.(MMI). On July 31, 2012, it acquired marketing start-up Wildfire. In September 2012, it acquired VirusTotal and Nik Software. In February 2013, Google acquired Channel Intelligence, Inc. one of the consolidated companies of ICG Group Inc. In April 2013, Google Inc acquired Wavii. In May 2013, Google Inc acquired an undisclosed minority stake in LendingClub Corp.

Search

The Company maintains an index of Websites and other online content, and makes it available through its search engine to anyone with an Internet connection. Its search technologies sort through information to deliver relevant search results in response to user queries. The Company integrates features into its search service and offer specialized search services to help users tailor their search. In January 2012, the Company launched Search plus Your World. When a user performs a signed-in search on Google, the user’s results page may include Google+ content from people that the user is close to (or might be interested in following). Relevant Google+ profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic or area of interest may also appear on a user’s results page.

Advertising

Advertising includes Google Search, Google Display, Google Mobile and Google Local. AdWords is the Company’s auction-based advertising program, which delivers advertisements that are relevant to search queries or Web content that they are a form of information in their own right. With AdWords, advertisers create text-based advertisements that then appear beside related search results or Web content on its Websites and on partner Websites in its Google Network, which is the network of third parties that use the Company’s advertising programs to deliver relevant advertisements with their search results and content. Most of its AdWords customers pay the Company on a cost-per-click basis, which means that an advertiser pays Google only when a user clicks on one of its advertisements. The Company also offers AdWords on a cost-per-impression basis that enables advertisers to pay the Company based on the number of times their advertisements appear on its Websites and its Google Network Members’ Websites as specified by the advertiser. Its AdSense program enables Websites that are part of the Google Network to deliver advertisements from its AdWords advertisers that are relevant to the search results or content on their Websites.

The Company’s Display advertising comprises the videos, text, images, and other interactive advertisements that run across the Web on computers and mobile devices, including smart phones and handheld computers, such as netbooks and tablets. The Google Display Network provides advertisers services related to the delivery of display advertising across publishers participating in its AdSense program, publishers participating in the DoubleClick Ad Exchange, and Google-owned sites, such as YouTube and Google Finance. Through its DoubleClick advertising technology, the Company provides to publishers, agencies, and advertisers the advertisement serving technology. Its DoubleClick Ad Exchange creates a real-time auction marketplace for the trading of display ad space. In addition, YouTube provides a range of video, interactive, and other advertisement formats for advertisers to reach their audience. YouTube’s video advertising solutions give advertisers a way to promote their content to the YouTube community, as well as to associate with content being watched by their target audience. YouTube also offers analytic tools to help advertisers understand their audience and derive general business intelligence.

Google Mobile extends its products and services by providing mobile-specific features to mobile device users. The Company’s mobile-specific search technologies include search by voice, search by sight, and search by location. Google Mobile also optimizes a number of Google’s applications for mobile devices in both browser and downloadable form. In addition, it offers advertisers the ability to run search ad campaigns on mobile devices with mobile-specific advertisement formats, such as click-to-call ads in which advertisers can include a phone number within ad text. AdMob, Inc. (AdMob) offers advertisement units and solutions for application developers and advertisers. Google Local provides users with relevant local information. The Company has organized information around more than 50 million places globally from various sources across the Web. Users can find addresses, phone numbers, hours of operation, directions and more for millions of local queries like shops, restaurants, parks and landmarks on Google.com, on Google Maps and on Google Maps for mobile. They can also discover more places that are right for them by rating the places they’ve been, and getting recommendations based on their tastes and those of their friends directly within Google Maps. Its products and services also enable business owners manage their online presence and connect with potential customers. Millions of business owners have verified their free business listings via Google Places to ensure that users have up-to-date information about their establishments, and to contribute additional detailsm, such as photos and products/services offered. Google Offers brings people daily deals from local and national businesses, redeemable for discounted goods or services. From restaurants to spa treatments to outdoor adventures, Google has deals from the businesses a city has to offer, as well as national brands.

Operating Systems and Platforms

The Company, along with Open Handset Alliance has developed Android mobile software platform that any developer can use to create applications for mobile devices and any handset manufacturer can install on a device. Google Chrome OS is an open source operating system with the Google Chrome Web browser as its foundation. The Chrome browser runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. Google TV is a platform that enables the consumers to experience television and the Internet on a single screen, with the ability to search and find the content they want to watch. The Google TV platform is based on the Android operating system and runs the Google Chrome browser. The Google Books platform (including reading applications, an electronic bookstore (eBookstore), book search, and personal library management) is designed to help people discover, search, and consume content from printed books online. Through the Google eBookstore, the Company makes available for sale books in electronic book format.

Enterprise

Google’s enterprise products provide Google technology for business settings. Through Google Apps, which includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and Google Sites, among other features, the Company provides hosted, Web-based applications that people can use on any device with a browser and an Internet connection. In addition, the Company y provides its search technology for use within enterprises through the Google Search Appliance (real-time search of business applications, intranet applications, and public Websites), on their public-facing sites with Google Site Search (custom search engine), and Google Commerce Search (for online retail enterprises). The Company also provides versions of its Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API) for businesses (including Google Maps for public and internal Websites), as well as Google Earth Enterprise (a behind-the-company-firewall software solution for imagery and data visualization).

The Company competes with Microsoft Corporation, Yahoo! Inc., Facebook, Inc., Twitter Inc., Amazon.com, Inc. and eBay Inc.