Is Paid Google Listings Next?

Hard to say. For a company that started out totally against the "advertising funded search engines" they sure make a lot.

If they did charge for listings it would probably be much like Adwords where a quality score and click rates would determine the ranking.

I can't imagine them doing this, but when money is involved you never know.

Ah...they already do this with those "Sponsored Links" above the organic results. For some keywords those take up most of the links above the fold.

I have heard something about google coming out with local adwords which might overshadow the current success businesses are achieving with the top 10 box. Let's see what happens

i can't see it - you have to have some " impartial " credibility - But stranger things have happened

I could be wrong, but I don't see it happening. Google became so popular because they produce relevant results when you do a search. And they've spent years formulating a ranking for that relevance. And these formulated search results are like high powered bait tweaked to their highest stench to attract as many searchers as possible.

So you could say that Google is like the chartered fishing boat. The regular search results are like the chum, attracting the fish closer to the boat. And then the paid advertisers are like the fishermen/women. And they must know the proper bait to use as well if they want to catch anything.

I doubt this will ever happen. This goes against everything Google stands for and has built its search engine around. They try to create the ultimate user experience providing both accurate results and non-obtrusive advertising. This will never happen. Accuracy and quality tools is what keeps traffic going to Google's search engine page and apps pages.

The next phase of their revenue model will likely be in the mobile market, especially with their release of Android powered phones. Google is the Microsoft of the Internet plain and simple. In the coming years you are going to see more and more web based applications. This will ultimately mean that Google will have a stable future for years to come, while eventually (unless they adapt of course) Microsoft will be on the decline, much like IBM was years ago. But don't count Microsoft out, because they will be here for years to come as well, but they will cease to be the market giant they are today.

Any ideas on how "organic" Google's organic search results are? Everybody seems to have a different opinion, because nobody knows the exact methodology by which the results are derived.

With talk of Google "personalizing" results based on previous individual user searches, this would seem to indicate everyone's "organic" results could, at some point soon, be different. This would also drive more traffic to Adwords and may make free SEO tactics much less effective. Sounds like yet another way to monetize search, wrapped in their usual bit about the "user experience".

I am not sure Google is nearly as noble as some posters give it credit for. Their motto in the beginning probably means something totally different to them now that they control the market for search. As for them being the "microsoft" of the internet, we see how that went for Microsoft....a huge anti-trust suit on multiple continents. I'd be willing to bet Microsoft could be a bit player 10 years down the line. As apps move to the cloud, they are way behind in that game.

Not to mention Google collects more user data than perhaps any other company on the planet. Not a lot of transparency about what they do with it, despite their "don't be evil" slogan.

As the old saying goes: "Absolute power corrupts absolutely"

I can see this coming a mile away. They will talk about how they are extremely sorry. Yeah, but they need the money.

Anti-Trust suits may not be that far off. With Google trying to insert its ad market dominance into the mobile web stratosphere. But I also see something very interesting with Google. With the creation of the Android OS... What could that mean for Microsoft, Apple, and Linux?

First stop... mobile OS... then a desktop OS... server OS... etc., etc.

They may be more than ready for this, as if I am not mistaken Google coded their own OS for their servers. (but don't hold me to that) Could have been MySpace that did that.

Android could end up becoming the best of both worlds (Open Source meets Premium OS)

No, once google are makng money then they will keep focoused on employing the same mission statment and objectives. Google do offer a service which is effective to the general poppulation, There would be no reason in the short term/medium term future to change this.