Google Base obtains the world's content for free, Google.com capitalizes on it
Google Base’s launch last Fall was feared as a “classifieds killer” see my (“Google Base no category killer”) The underwhelming property, however, did not gain user traction, like so many non Google.com efforts.
Google is turning “lemons into lemonade” now by using Google Base as a magnet to acquire the world’s content for free, structure the cost-free content it obtains, and monetize it by serving it up to the massive Google user base via Google.com “refinement boxes.”
In my “Google Verticals vs. Google.com: What is Google’s end-game” and “Google.com ‘refinement boxes’: future classifieds ‘complete solution’?” I discuss Google’s verticals-driven cost-free content acquisition and monetization strategy:
Google is determined to organize all of the “world’s information.” But before Google can organize all the content in the world, it needs to have access to the world's content. For Google, however, access generally means full control of the content, selling ads against the content and selling ads to better “surface” the content…
Google aims to obtain, control and own more content, cost-free to Google, for inclusion in its core search product via a no-cost content acquisition strategy through various Google Verticals.
Google Base says:
Put stuff on Google. Google Base is a place where you can post all types of content and have it show up on Google.
The scenario put forth by Jonathan Rosenberg, Google SVP, Product Management, at the company’s latest investor conference call:
there are a number of examples of some of the general vision as to where Base is going to go as individuals post content to be distributed on Google and our other properties.
One example is to type in recipes on Google.com. Or I think you can even type in something like ‘cheese recipes’. And what does is it triggers refinement boxes, and the refinement boxes basically have different attributes, which is one of the things that we have been talking about in terms of how this will evolve. The attributes in this case would be something like main ingredient and cuisine. If you go ahead and type something like cheese recipe and then refine by Cuisine - American, you’re going to get a page of results that shows all sorts of recipes that are very rich in structured content that have been submitted to Google Base.
So that’s an example where you can basically see the power of adding these attributes of main ingredient and cuisine and course and having people post them.
For Google refinement boxes in action for the top three classifieds categories--automotive, real estate and recruitment--see my “Google.com ‘refinement boxes’: future classifieds ‘complete solution’”
As the Google ambition is to control not only classifieds listings, but all of the world’s content, Google Base is eagerly sucking in all variations of content, and is acquiring the content at no-cost to Google. For Google, all the world’s content means anything, and everything, in the world.
Google Base categories solicited include:
- Mobile content
- People profiles
- Clinical trials
- Events and activities
- Services
Google wants the world’s podcasts, too:
Share your podcasts: Upload podcasts through Google Base so millions of users can find them.
You’ve got the podcast. Now, by uploading it to Google Base, you can help ensure that millions of Google users will be able to find it in their search results. Google Base is a place where you can submit information about all sorts of interesting items you want to showcase or sell and have them show up on Google properties for free. You can add relevant keywords about your items so that people can easily find them; you can also link directly to your own website or, if you don’t have one, let us host the information you want to share at a unique URL.
According to Google Base:
there has been some confusion as to where your items will end up when you submit them to Google Base…you can certainly find your items in Google Base search results (which assures you they've been published live). But in order to draw searcher traffic, we also distribute your content to different Google search properties…
By distributing to Google search properties the content it has acquired for free via Google Base, Google monetizes what it has obtained cost-free, by selling ads against it at Google.com.
For Google, however, making money by selling ads against free content is not sufficient. Google wants the owners of the content it obtains, cost-free, to pay Google to “distribute your content to different Google search properties,” via Google AdWords.
According to Google Base:
you're familiar with Google AdWords, you'll be happy to know that we're now enabling you to create AdWords ads for individually posted items in Google Base, right from the Google Base edit item page. Submitting an ad through Google Base is a quick and easy way to drive additional highly targeted traffic to your Base items. You simply write the ad creative and tell us how much you're willing to spend and we'll do the rest. We'll automatically use the content from your Google Base item to target your ad to user queries, displaying your ads only when they are relevant. We'll even geo-target your ads to the most appropriate location.