Google I'm Feeling Lucky Button Nostalgia?

By Barry Welford - Sat, 11/24/2007 - 3:45pm.

The I Feel Lucky button on the Google keyword search page has been there forever.

Many have questioned its utility given that even Google acknowledges few people click on it. Perhaps it's nostalgia on the part of the two founders. Perhaps it's a subtle marketing ploy to encourage the notion that Google always gets it right. It does seem somewhat of an enigma.

Brendan Newnam decided to find out why it still hangs around. One interesting finding in his article comes from Tom Chavez, the head of Rapt, a company that helps determine what advertising real estate on a Web page is worth. He did the math on how much the 1% of people who use the button are costing the company. Google makes a lot of its money by selling ads on its search results page.

People who are "feeling lucky" never see such a page and therefore Google's ads. The "I'm Feeling Lucky" button automatically directs them to a non-Google web page. He estimates that Google loses $110 million of revenue per year by leaving the button for this 1% of visitors.

That's a huge loss for a button that no one seems able to defend.

Comment ...

News Tags: Google

About the author:
Barry Welford, President of SMM Internet Marketing Consultants works with business owners and senior management on Internet Marketing strategy and action plans to grow their companies. He is a moderator at the Cre8asite Forums and writes on current issues on the Internet and on the Mobile Web in three blogs, BPWrap, StayGoLinks and The Other Bloke's Blog.

Comments

Submitted by Aaron (WPN reader) on Sun, 12/30/2007 - 1:28am.

It is a symbol

It's a symbol of the long forgotten purpose of existence, most companies forget about-- the benefit of the consumer. If a company does not benefit the consumer on some level it will cease to exist. 1% of Google's searches cost 110 million -- on those searches. But the very existence of that said button may in fact maintain and draw many more searches because people see that button and appreciate it. It may benefit the company on a level unrealized-- no it does! IT BENEFITS THE CONSUMER, and that should be the only purpose of existence for a company. If you benefit a consumer at a price low enough at cost, where you can still charge a price lower than all competitors, you will have the most successful buisness on the planet.

Submitted by rodflash (WPN reader) on Sun, 11/25/2007 - 7:22am.

It's just useful

The I'm feeling Lucky button in Google homepage it's not about money, it's just useful.
Google did not became the search leader because of how it earn money, but how it works to help people search the Web.
The I'm Feeling Lucky button it's a fantastic option to go direct to the site that you know the name, but not the address.
This function in Google Toolbar it's even easier. If we get this option out, I'll be very sad because I'm part of this 1% that use it.

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