Skip to content

How Google Makes Money

It is going to be nothing surprising to learn that Google makes a lot of money, indeed. Google has fast become synonymous with any sort of online searching, so much so that Google has now officially become its own verb for online query-making. Naturally, this rise in reputation means that Google earns a substantial amount…
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Blog Post

It is going to be nothing surprising to learn that Google makes a lot of money, indeed. Google has fast become synonymous with any sort of online searching, so much so that Google has now officially become its own verb for online query-making.

Naturally, this rise in reputation means that Google earns a substantial amount of money: $31.9 billion, to be exact, in the fourth quarter of 2017 (which is roughly around £26.2 billion).

When asking how exactly Google makes money, it can be a confusing concept, particularly when you consider that Google is a free search engine offering many of its products completely free. How, then, does the search engine make money from providing a free browser with a free search box where you can type anything you like (for free)?

It would make sense that Google makes a small amount of cash from certain products, but the sheer amount of money based on 2017 findings alone signifies that Google is definitely doing something right when it comes to earning a return.

piggy bank
Photo by Fabian Blank on Unsplash

How Does Google Make Money 2017?

Google Products

Of course, Google has a wealth of products which can be used to generate income, and especially in recent years, Google has been pushing new products like its Home Speaker and the Google Play Store, all of which can make Google a substantial amount of cash.

Yet, when it comes to the most significant earner for Google, it is advertising which takes the gold medal.

Google’s Success with Advertising

A substantial amount of Google’s money is actually coming from the products which you use for free, through the use of advertising. Even when you use the Google search engine at no extra cost to yourself, Google is going to be making a bundle through advertisements integrated into the search engine, landing pages and more.

The Important Forms of Google Advertising

Google is split into three main categories of advertising success, which are listed below. These are the advertising methods you should know about.

screenshot of click intelligence google adwords

Google Ads

The most popular forms of advertisements when it comes to Google, these are the ads which appear at the top of a search engine page when you type any query into the Google search bar. You will always expect to see these advertisements when you are searching for something and browsing the results page.

This will usually be displayed as the top two or three listings, clearly displayed with the word ‘ad’ beside them and featured in a way differentiating themselves from the rest of the page. These Google Ads usually serve to draw your eye straight away.

Naturally, this is a coveted position for any business which wants its name to be at the top of the search engine results page.

If you’re looking for assistance with using Google ads and AdWords for your business, then you might want to look into a dedicated Google AdWords management service.

Google AdSense

This feature allows businesses to partner up with Google, in a joint effort to promote advertisements on their own websites. Companies can bid to be featured in advertisements, and when a relevant click gets made, Google will thereby receive the money and share a percentage of it with the business or website owner. Google, therefore, both makes a little extra money, as well as being able to promote its ads even further to a higher number of people.

Google AdMob

Working with the same process as AdSense, AdMob is instead tailored to applications rather than web pages. This means app developers can make extra money alongside Google, which expands its advertising market through a partnership with the applications in question.

Keyword Bidding

Search results will still rank in organic order underneath any ads displayed on the Google search page, through organic use of keywords. Nevertheless, it is still possible for a business to place a bid for a specific keyword applicable to their business. What then happens is that when an internet user clicks on the advert in question, the business pays Google the amount of the bid.

As you can imagine, this can earn some serious money for Google simply through clicking. If a specific keyword is clicked on a certain number of times during a month, it can easily rack up a significant return, especially for the more expensive bids and keywords.

To understand more about ads, bidding on keywords and how ads can help your keywords, you can speak with an AdWords management company.

How Does Google Advertising Garner Its Success?

Through its authority and reputation, Google is used by millions of users every single day. This means that Google easily has access to search terms, behaviours and information regarding individuals and their wants and needs. This makes it significantly easier for Google to better target its ads to those users, and gain more clicks and interest – and therefore, more money.

Its PPC advertising is hugely effective, meaning business owners and website runners only pay when their advertisement is clicked. Furthermore, Google’s tools and abilities for tracking ranking and success for said advertisements means it is a hugely successful operation for everyone involved, with a worldwide target market of users daily.

It Is not Going to Change Any Time Soon

Google is always going to be relevant, and advertisements are going to continue being necessary, too. Combined, Google has no plans in slowing down in the near future, only increasing its success, relevance, and prosperity when it comes to those advertisements. This means, as a business, ads and paid ads should alway

google search
Photo by Nathana Rebouças on Unsplash

s be within your radar and strategy plan, and an AdWords management agency can help with that.

Managing Your Own Ads

You can, of course, provide Google with more income while making some for yourself, too. Paid advertisement, like AdWords PPC management options, will be helpful for the SEO of your business and improving your business’s presence online. Get your business more easily noticed through using PPC and Google AdWords management with a trusted SEO company like Click Intelligence.

James Owen, Co-Founder & Head Of Search

James has been involved in SEO and digital marketing projects since 2007. James has led many SEO projects for well-known brands in Travel, Gaming and Retail such as Jackpotjoy, Marriott, Intercontinental Hotels, Hotels.com, Expedia, Betway, Gumtree, 888, Ax Paris, Ebyuer, Ebay, Hotels combined, Smyths toys, love honey and Pearson to name a few. James has also been a speaker at SEO and digital marketing conferences and events such as Brighton SEO.

View all Downloads

Downloads

eBook: Search in 2022 - Key Findings So Far

Search in 2022: Key Findings So Far

The search engine landscape is constantly changing; search in 2022 is no exception. New trends and algorithm updates occur all the time in the search engine world.

Download
Ebook: Ultimate Guide To Enterprise SEO

Ultimate Guide To Enterprise SEO

While the fundamentals of SEO remain the same no matter the size of your business, if you are an enterprise…

Download
eBook: SEO Strategy for 2023

SEO Strategy for 2023

Without the correct tactics, your website doesn’t have a chance of appearing prominently on search engine results pages. Because if…

Download
View the Blog

You may also be interested in...

Can SEO Really Be Automated? The Evidence Says…

Automation is on the rise in just about every industry, and SEO is no exception…

What Type of Backlinks Are the Most Powerful for SEO?

Backlinks have been part of the SEO conversation for years, despite countless algorithm updates, and…

Your AI SEO Website Auditing Checklist

It’s not just humans that use search anymore. Artificial intelligence plays a huge role in…

Google Ads Are Not Dead in the AI Overviews Era – Here’s Why

There’s no denying that Google’s AI Overviews changed the face of search seemingly overnight. After…

The December 2025 Google Core Update Is Complete: What Does It All Mean?

When a Google core update is being rolled out, digital marketers everywhere eagerly wait to…

Why Digital PR Campaigns Are Your Brand’s Loudest Megaphone

Digital PR for SEO is one of the most powerful link-building strategies for any brand. It generates not just links, but the right links, and serves as a supercharged authority-building engine that helps you ramp up your backlink profile. If you want to get your brand out there, whether that’s at the top of a search, mentioned by an AI chatbot, or referenced in an AI Overview, then PR for ranking SEO is an excellent strategy to invest in.

What Are the Best SEO Strategies to Invest in 2026?

Search has undergone a massive shift in the last few years, changing not only how…

How Agencies Boost Search Results with Local SEO

Local SEO has always been one of the most powerful and effective tools for local…

View all Guides

Online Guides

Which Is Best Brightedge vs Semrush in 2026?
View guide
Which Is Best: Raven Tools vs SEMrush in 2026?
View guide
Which Is Best: SE Ranking vs SEMrush in 2026?
View guide
Which is Best Similarweb vs SEMrush in 2026?
View guide
Which is Best SEO Powersuite vs SEMrush in 2026?
View guide
Which is Best SEMrush Vs Ahrefs Vs Moz in 2026?
View guide
Which is Best Ahrefs Vs Spyfu in 2026?
View guide
Which Is Best Ahrefs Vs Raven in 2026?
View guide
Back To Top