WebProNews

According to a new report from Interbrand, Google is not one of the ten “Best Global Brands 2007”; that, from Mountain View’s perspective, is the bad news.  The good news: at number 20, it’s not too far behind the leaders, and Google’s “brand value” actually increased by 44 percent in the last year.

So, as documented by the BBC, “Google is the brand that has gained the most in value over the past year.”  Microsoft didn’t gain much of anything - its value rose by a mere three percent - yet it still remains, according to Interbrand, ranked at number two (behind Coca-Cola).  Yahoo is way down the list, at number 55, and Ask is nowhere to be seen in the top 100.

That’s about it for search engine companies, but a few more corporations of interest appear on the list.  I know many of you love Apple, for example, and its rank is 23 (with a 21 percent increase).  eBay placed 48th, after gaining ten percent in “brand value” over the past year.

That all sounds reasonable enough, but for those of you who are wondering how Interbrand’s rankings were determined, the BBC reports, “The brands are valued using sales and a consideration of how important the brand is in the sector. . . .  In soft drinks, for example, branding is considered very important, while it is much less important to people buying garden tools.”

Hat tip to Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Land.