Google Press Day: ‘Limitless Growth’

Search Engine Watch has a post about where to watch the remaining bits (only about an hour left at 11:00am Pacific/2pm ET) of Google Press day. I'm not there, but I watched CEO Eric Schmidt's remarks, which are partly blogged by Philipp Lenssen here.

There were a number of themes or statements that Schmidt made that I thought were interesting. I can't quote him, but I can paraphrase them:

• Increasing reliance upon and integration of user-generated content, from many different sources, as part of search and other products at Google. I had said Google was vulnerable on this front. Google seems, from Schmidt's remarks to be aware of the importance of this trend and is apparently committed to it going forward.
• Emphasis on locally targeted ads as delivering better clicks
• Emphasis on growth products that aren't search-based (i.e., radio)
• Emphasis on mobile as a growth engine beyond the potential for PCs (this also ties into broadband, Wi-Fi access). Schmidt also discussed the immediacy of the user need in a mobile context
• The recognition that "ten links" wasn't the best search result and the suggestion of a diverifying presentation of content on Google accordingly

Later, former local GM Sukhinder Singh Cassidy (now VP of Asia-Pacific and Latin America) took a question about "click to call" and said it was an important and interesting technology but that Google was focused on getting local content online before it would focus on monetizing click to call. She said that she felt the real opportunity there was still a few years off.

Ironically, if Google were to "flip the switch" on the availability of click to call and PPCall, it would accelerate the market's development.

Schmidt also reiterated a remark he's made before about the company seeing the possibility for almost "limitless growth." He said, "There are probably limits out there, but we just haven't see them yet."

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Update:

Jonathan Rosenberg, SVP of Product:

• Talked about the "tail" consisting of small business advertisers, who are an important market for Google. Rosenberg talked about Google AdWords "starter edition" as being tailored to new advertisers and specifically small businesses.
• He also intimated that "click to call" would cost more because the nature of the action "is very close to consummating a transaction." Also, it will be used in mobile
• Launch of "Google Trends" a "Google Finance-like" presentation of data (including local) around Google search volume associated with particular terms. He explained this was like a personalized version of Google Zeitgeist. It's a tool that can track consumer search behavior around any term. Now for people who want to know what the search volume on particular categories or local terms is, it will theoretically be available.
• Rosenberg said that Google was refining its print program, said that Radio was going well and that Google would be expanding into TV especially "as TV becomes more search based."

Marissa Mayer (new products):

• Google Desktop Version 4 with "Google Gadgets" (like Yahoo!'s Widgets). This represents more of an effort to get into the user's desktop. Google Calendar is integrated, among other applications. Recommendations engine built into Sidebar (a version of this already existed). Desktop is also being used to drive sign-ups for Google's Personalized Homepage, which will be automatically configured for users.
• Google "Coop" (This is a complicated hybrid of social/personalization with content "subscriptions" [feeds]). As a "subset" of this initiative, Google Health is confirmed and also Cityguides (haven't seen it). Mayer said "Coop" would be the basis (with APIs) for almost "unlimited" verticals.
• Google "Notebook": (window that allows annotation and capture of content [graphics/text] and personalized search history). Notebooks can be made "public" and shared with others. This is a very interesting product that will be available next week. There's more to think about with this obviously. But that will have to wait until the release.

There are a slew of posts about all this at SEW.