• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, January 4, 2011

Struggling to find the perfect mix of search and social seems to continually derail the No. 1 search engine and slow its chance to become the top social network. Some believe the recently raised $500 million investment reportedly handed to Facebook could become another setback. No one argues that Google has mastered search, video and mobile. But when it comes to the fourth platform -- social -- even Google Consumer Products VP Marissa Mayer admits the tech company "can't get it right."

When asked during an interview about the backlash from the Gmail community that didn't want Google Buzz incorporated tightly into the mail platform, Mayer told Media Bistro's Donya Blaze: "We've done very well on three of the four, and we're working very hard on the fourth."

Forrester Research Senior Analyst Augie Ray has long felt that Google failed at social -- the company did not integrate social into their core offering. "They had the brains, money and vision to buy Dodgeball and launch Orkut very early in the social media era, but those sites remained outposts completely unrelated to consumers' primary Google experience," he said, expecting that Mayer will make it happen. "This won't be a new social site or an addition to Gmail; instead, Google needs to make search and discovery social. While we think of Google as a search engine, it's really a discovery engine, and that's where Google's opportunities reside."

Ray points to Google CEO Eric Schmidt's comments on "serendipitous search" -- search results searchers didn't even know they needed. Similar to MediaPost Search Marketing Daily's view, this gives Google a path to carve out a successful complementary -- rather than competitive -- strategy with Facebook.

Rob Griffin, SVP and global director of search and analytics at ad agency Havas Digital, sums up a few key factors that are hurting Google's social efforts, but said the engine seems to be trying to force-fit ideas. The public company is under great pressure to diversify revenue. Google continues to see more than 90% revenue from search, and Wall Street doesn't like or want it, he said.

"In their early days, Google innovated because that's what they did, and now all employees are expected to spend X% of their time with new ideas," Griffin adds. "Forced innovation is still forced. And yet, no matter what they say, they won't overly depart from their core search business and want to pursue social that will extend their search distribution. The irony here is that not too many search engine marketing experts attend Google Zeitgeist."

Marty Weintraub, founder at search marketing company aimClear, likens Google's struggle with social similar to putting a square peg in a round hole. He thinks Google should buy up companies, and socialize the Web through acquisitions like Slide, a start-up that develops social apps. After all, they have "more money than God."

Google acquired Slide in August. "Leave the founders of the purchased companies the latitude to work their magic, and somehow integrate the technology in Google's SERPs and other products in a way that benefits users who search, which, of course, remains the main reason users go to Google," Weintraub explains.

But it doesn't always work that cleanly. Nine out of 10 times, the founder of the acquiring startup gets frustrated at the lack of control and leaves within a year.

Google hasn't faltered for lack of assets. Wedbush Analyst Lou Kerner points to the "remarkable set of social assets" -- such as YouTube, Gmail, Places, Boutiques, and a direct pipeline with Twitter, to name a few. The challenge will become to weave together all the apps and platforms to create a cohesive social application. "The world of social remains embryonic, and Google is likely to acquire compelling social assets," witnessed by their interest in Groupon, he said.

Why not, since the search giant, Google, is said to have $33 billion in cash, according to Dow Jones Newswire.