However, this rapid growth has not been to the satisfaction of some, as a recent survey conducted by bigmouthmedia has revealed. When asked if Google has become "too commercial", the bigmouthmedia survey showed that nearly three in ten UK internet users agreed; 37 per cent refuted the statement while 34 per cent claimed they didn't know.
Over 1000 respondents, evenly distributed in age and gender, were surveyed during the study. But despite this, it appears that men are far more likely than women to believe that Google is overly commercial. The gender divide over Google's stratospheric rise sees 35 per cent of men answering yes when asked whether Google was too commercial, while only 23 per cent of women concurred with this statement.
Is Google becoming too commercial? Male vs Female
Male "Yes": 35%
Female "Yes": 23%
Google offers a service that's free to use, but many large companies spend millions of pounds advertising on Google's formidable ad network. What's more, some Google products - like the popular Google Earth application - cost money, and many commentators also view the search engine's algorithm tweaks as containing a large degree of commercial consideration.
Chris Sherman, Executive Editor at SearchEngineLand, commented:
"Google now dominates in so many areas that some people perceive it as all-powerful or arrogant. In some ways that's true - but Google still adheres to its "do no evil" mantra in my opinion."
He added:
"It's important for people to weigh the various opinions expressed in the media with their own experiences before passing judgement on any company, regardless of their past actions."
The bigmouthmedia survey, available in full here, helps to shed light on the developing opposition to Google that seems to have arisen from both global consumer groups and its fiercest competitors - in particular, Microsoft.
A previous survey undertaken by bigmouthmedia also revealed split views regarding another aspect of the Google machine. When respondents were asked whether they trusted Google to keep records of their search behaviour private, 38 per cent said they did while 30 per cent answered no.
Current bigmouthmedia surveys
