Executive Summary
Stiff completion is the major problem being faced by Google in the search engine industry. The already established and emerging companies have new features that attract users to them (Pichette, 2011). A careful analysis of the competition in the search engine industry brings out some interesting findings.
To begin with, the main objective of competing is to retain users and attract new ones. The emergence of new technologies has introduced a lot of competition in all facets of online business. Vertical search engines give the users an opportunity access e-commerce websites without the use of Google (Pichette, 2011).
Bing and Yahoo are the major competitors of Google because they of can be used for general purposes. Social networks have become popular in recent times with many users preferring their use in referring products and services.
Google has some alternative courses of action to solve this problem. The company can use he relevant modern technologies to come up with new products and services that will attract new customers. Investment in innovation is another long term strategy of dealing with competition (Levene, 2010).
Investment in innovation is the most recommended course of action because it is the basis of generating new products and services and improving the existing ones. This strategy is implemented by hiring of the best talents in the industry and retaining the existing ones. Google has enough resources to invest in innovation and research for growth and sustainability.
Problem Statement
The search engine industry is intensely competitive and Google being of the major players faces this risk. The emergence of new companies that offer a variety of services like social networking sites, vertical search engines and general purpose search engines has increased completion in the industry.
This is a major problem for Google because the stiff competition can make it lose its revenues especially from advertisements (Pichette, 2011). Both emerging and established companies are a threat to Google’s market dominance.
The company also faces stiff completion from offline forms of advertisement like billboards, magazines, television and radio (Pichette, 2011). There are a lot of companies offering online services and products with unique features that attract a lot of users. The Google Company faces a great challenge in maintaining their dominance in online business.
Analysis
The main objective of competing is to retain users and attract new ones. The emergence of new technologies has introduced a lot of competition in all facets of online business. Vertical search engines give the users an opportunity access e-commerce websites without the use of Google (Pichette, 2011).
Bing and Yahoo are the major competitors of Google because they of can be used for general purposes. Social networks have become popular in recent times with many users preferring their use in referring products and services.
Alternative Courses of Action
The stiff completion has forced Google to come up with alternative courses of action to achieve competitive advantage over its competitors (Pichette, 2011). To begin with, the company can apply modern technology in creating new products and services that are user- friendly and easy to access.
Google can also decide to invest heavily in innovation by hiring and training the best talents in the industry. Innovation is a very essential tool in the generation of user traffic.
Recommendation
For the Google Company to continue having a competitive advantage over its competitors, it should invest heavily in innovation. Innovation helps a great deal in coming up with new services and products that will in turn give the company a competitive advantage over its competitors (Saieh, 2008).
A company with innovative minds will enhance a corporate culture that focuses on continuous improvement of products and services.
Implementation
Investment in innovation as a strategy for gaining competitive advantage requires a lot of financial resources for its implementation. Google is a financially stable company and this is not a cause for worry at all.
Implementation of this strategy involves retaining, recruitment and training of the best talents in the industry (Levene, 2010). The promotion of teamwork and creativity in order to attract advertisers and other users is essential.
Innovation entails the creation of new products and services and improvement of the existing ones. Innovation is also supported by an effective research and development department.
References
Levene, M. (2010). An introduction to search engines and web navigation. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.
Pichette, P. (2011). 2010-google annual report. Web.
Saieh, A. (2008). The secrete of getting listed at the top of search engines. New York, NY: Alexandra Saieh.