WebProNews

Google’s in it for the long haul - the search giant just signed a three-year deal with Network Communications, “the leading publisher of printed and online real estate information in North America.”  At stake?  AdWords.

“We are excited to offer our advertisers the opportunity to expand their online presence through Google AdWords,” stated Glenn Goad, Network Communications’s executive vice president of consumer strategy, in a press release.

He then continued, “The model for how consumers search for and sell homes continues to change and the Internet has been a driving force behind this evolution.  Our partnership with Google allows us to provide even more highly effective and targeted online real estate marketing services and products to our customers.”

Online real estate has been a pretty hot field lately; just in the past couple of weeks, Yahoo Real Estate partnered with NewHomeSource.com and Redfin secured $12 million in funding.  That’s one competitor and a lot of cash on the move, from Google’s perspective (although I suppose it’s me, not Google, that regards $12 million as “a lot”).

So the arrangement with Network Communications shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.  But as the official release notes, “The signed deal makes NCI the first company in the real estate marketplace that Google has partnered with in this way.”

Hat tip to the Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal.