• by Tim Daly , March 5, 2008

The hysteria over comScore's report that Google's recent dip in sponsored clicks which suggested a recession for the world's most popular search engine has certainly begun a dialogue for internet marketers. The report has forced the industry to reflect on their reliance on Google to meet sales projections.

Other industry talking heads have suggested Google's slump is a symptom of recent economic downturn. This debate has brought new questions to light as internet marketers reflect on industry trends.

Has the limited technological advancements in search results created a staleness in consumer interactions with sponsored ads? Are consumers becoming increasingly internet savvy and relying more on social and vertical mediums? While the answers to these questions remain to be seen, few would deny that marketers have reason for concern and should be keeping vigilance over emerging trends.

James Lamberti, SVP at comScore, has come to Google's defense claiming the report is not necessarily a sign of weakening consumer interest, but more so Google's algorithmic changes that have limited the number of ads per page. Unfortunately, it is tough to feel strongly about this explanation given that Google has been aggressively improving the Adwords algorithm since July 2006 with a focus on eliminating irrelevant ads with low quality scores that were driven significantly by low click interaction. It seems, on the surface, Lamberti's argument lacks teeth and has many marketers apprehensive. Could this recent statement be a placation to the Google Gods?

Regardless of what your opinion maybe, the real takeaway given the media attention doled out to comScore's report, is the warning to all marketers to begin diversifying their media budget and limit putting all their eggs into the proverbial Google basket. While this may come across as being a Monday Morning Quarterback analysis, it is essential that as marketers, we ask ourselves if we are witnessing "The Tipping Point" that authors like Malcolm Gladwell have predicted.

Marketers with a focus on direct response performance should be considering the range of new opportunities available to them that can limit the impact of a downturn associated with Google's struggles. Some of the growing online marketing mediums that advertisers ought to begin testing and rolling out include:

• Yahoo's dynamic CPM pricing that optimizes ad serving toward meeting ROI performance goals,

• Advertising networks such as Advertising.com and Casale Media which optimize towards ROI goals,

• Search, site, and creative re-targeting through behavioral targeting technologies such as Revenue Science,

• Lead generation referral programs provided by organizations such as Permission Data and Aptimus that allow for targeted prospect database building,

• Paid inclusion tactics on Yahoo that have provided more control of marketing messages in organic search result, leading to substantial, high quality click rate increases,

• Shopping comparison engines and vertical lead aggregators that are providing cost-effective solutions to reach targeted niche audiences, and,

• Social media opportunities such as Facebook social ads that charge on a CPC basis and widget applications that breed word of mouth.

Geoffrey Chaucer penned in 1374 the proverb "All Things Must Come to an End." Optimistic Americans adding the term "good" many years later. The adage has lived on for years, and has only been validated with the rise and fall of countless empires as the social current changes direction.

Those who live to tell the tale of change are those who can recognize and adapt to the changing industry landscape. Is it time for us to evolve? Perhaps the more pertinent question for us all is whether this is the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?