WebProNews

I had no idea. I mean, it wasn't on my calendar and I'm sure I didn't see the search engines create a special logo to mark the event; but it appears that this week is Chicken Little Week.

It seems that in just a few short weeks, Google has gone from being the darling of the tech industry to an over-weighted "one-trick pony" that can barely keep up with the competition. BusinessWeek jumps on the "doom and gloom" bandwagon with their story on the apparent slowdown of the company's growth.

Forrester Research Inc. predicts growth will drop from 45% to 30% this year.

Drop to 30% growth?!? Do you know how many other industries would kill for that kind of growth? Should all the investment analysts be fired? After all, they were the ones that predicted the insane growth levels to start with. Even the most obtuse retail investor knows that 45% growth cannot be maintained each year, so how come the analysts are so shocked?

Search will ultimately reach maturity and the growth will slow, but I believe that time will prove it to be a long-term industry.

"help, the sky is falling".

Andy Beal is an internet marketing consultant and considered one of the world's most respected and interactive search engine marketing experts. Andy has worked with many Fortune 1000 companies such as Motorola, CitiFinancial, Lowes, Alaska Air, DeWALT, NBC and Experian.

You can read his internet marketing blog at Marketing Pilgrim and reach him at andy.beal@gmail.com.