Analysts Give Early Word On Google Earnings: “Lower”

Google is scheduled to report second quarter earnings after the close of the stock market on Thursday, and analysts have set the bar low this quarter.

Analysts expect Google, by far the dominant force in global search, to report that its core business held up relatively well in the second quarter. Broadpoint Analyst Ben Schachter wrote in a research note to expect sequential net revenue growth between 1% and 2%, “boosted by an estimated 3% tailwind to international revenue, thanks to a weakening dollar.”

Facebook’s Offical User Count Now 250 Million

It was only three months ago that Facebook announced that it had reached 200 million users worldwide. Today, CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the social network has passed 250 million active users. And back in January it was just 150 million.

Facebook has been accused of under-counting users in the past. According to comScore, Facebook had 316 million unique visitors worldwide in May, but not all of them necessarily had accounts.

No matter which way you slice it, adding 50 million users in three months is nothing short of amazing. Most Websites would kill for a fraction of that growth. How long before Facebook reaches one billion, and can it beat Twitter to that milestone?

Compete Unveils New Service For Measuring Ad Effectiveness

The idea is that online ads can generate consumer interest and actions even if people don’t actually click on them. The Online Publishers Association last month released findings from a recent study showing that among people exposed to 80 brand campaigns on 200 popular sites had a greater likelihood of visiting those brand’s sites and searching related terms than those who didn’t see them.

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Tapping into that movement, Compete has come out with a new service called Ad Impact for measuring display campaigns based on what people do after seeing an ad besides clicking. Analyzing more than 75 campaigns since the beginning of the year, the Web tracking firm says ad exposure increases traffic to marketer sites and boosts brand search.

Ad Impact tracks user behavior in three categories: branded site visitation; search phrases, visits to rival and third-party sites and social media; and campaign profile data including demographic, impression and frequency reporting. Clients can also request customized metrics.