Apart from being the talk of the search marketing world, Google related topics also seem to be a hot topic in the larger media arena recently. From the release of Google Glass to issuing penalties to national companies, it seems the press are eager to print about the UK’s largest search engine.

Earlier this year MP’s criticised the tax arrangements of multinational firms, including Google. The Public Accounts Committee has stated that the companies are “using the letter of tax laws both nationally and internationally to immorally minimize their tax obligations.” The firm was under strict scrutiny for paying just £6million in UK corporation tax in 2011.

Googles executive chairman, Eric Schmidt has hit back at the accusations and defended the search engines tax affairs. In an interview on Radio 4’s World At One, Mr Schmidt argued that the firm was playing a key role in the UK’s high tech growth as well as employing more than 2,000 people and investing heavily in Britain. He also went on to state that the search corporation’s behaviour reflected the way that all big international companies manage their taxes.

"I think the most important thing to say about our taxes is that we fully comply with the law and we'll obviously, should the law change, comply with that as well." He said.

However Public Accounts Committee chairman, Margaret Hodge, told him: “We are not accusing you of being illegal, we are accusing you of being immoral.”

At the Search Marketing Group, we expect that this won’t be the last we hear of this interesting topic and we will keep you informed of any changes. For more search marketing related news, visit our website.

Even those that are not familiar with the internet or search marketing will be able to recognise the Google logo with ease. With the UK’s largest search engine branching off into new products, such as Google Glass, and venturing into the world of mobile search, it is no surprise that the new figures released show that Google’s profits are up significantly from last year.

The search giants net profits are up 16% from last year and have boosted up to $3.35bn (£2.19bn) for the first three months of the year. The significant rise has been attributed to the search engine adapting to meet the growing demand for search on mobile and tablet devices. More and more consumers are searching and browsing online using mobile devices as opposed to PC’s and so the search giant has shifted focus to improving its mobile advertising.

With the economy still in a recession it is interesting to see such a large boost in net profits. Although whilst Google seems to be having great success, it seems that many other companies are actually struggling. Large names, such as Tesco and JD Sports have had to invest heavily following a slide in profits. This is the first time that Tesco’s profits have fallen in 20 years.

It seems that Google isn’t the only company to be benefiting from operating online. The department store chain Debenhams has supported the claim that there is a shift currently taking place in the retail industry. It has been stipulated that online retail is more profitable than traditional high street stores. Recently Debenhams have supported this claim by reporting that their online business is currently proving more profitable for the firm.

The reported successes of Google and Debenhams demonstrate that more people are shopping online and in turn more companies are allocating more budget to marketing themselves effectively online. However, the online world is an increasingly competitive place. An experienced and reputable search marketing company will be able to boost your visibility online whilst also helping to drive traffic to your site and so ultimately seeing an increase in ROI. If this is something that you are interested in, contact the Search Marketing Group today for a no obligation discussion.