Web 2.0 success metrics: Revenues, profits in 2007?
Google’s Matt Cutts takes a break from personal holiday festivities to “come to Yahoo’s defense about something,” in his post today, “Page view metrics? Bah humbug!"
Is Cutts spreading some search engine ecumenical cheer in the spirit of holiday togetherness?
Cutts’ AJAX shout-out for Yahoo Mail is not disinterested; His “mini-rant about page view metrics” may revolve around the Yahoo case, but a punch line roots for home-team Google:
Remember that post that said Gmail had a 2.5% market share? Shortly afterwards, you started to see a “Google succeeded in search, but hasn’t done as well in other areas” meme. I wonder if we should reconsider the origin of that notion.
Cutts’ generous “takeaways” also offer advice to Web 2.0 start-ups as well as recommendations for the entire search engine industry, which Google dominates:
If you’re doing a start-up and want impressive page view metrics, stay the hell away from AJAX,
If you would even *for one second* consider staying away from AJAX for the sake of impressive metrics, you’re running your start-up ass-backwards,
If I had more steam, I’d rip into the idea of an hours spent searching each month as a good metric for search engines.
Cutts addresses valid issues, but what about old-school “revenues” or “profits” as barometers for success, for any and every company, rather than user metrics?
In “MySpace: Bragging rights vs. revenues” I recount my discussion with Ross Levinsohn in the Fall when I underscored Yahoo’s commanding lead over MySpace, when revenues serve as the success metric:
Peter Levinsohn leads FIM now, not Ross. Peter has unleashed comScore Media Metrix data aiming to illustrate that FIM is now “bigger” than Yahoo, in terms of page views. The Yahoo vs. FIM competition in terms of bottom-line revenues, however, has still not been addressed by FIM.
How about Web 2.0 start-ups? Are they avoiding running their ventures “ass-backwards,” and focusing on solid, revenue generating business models, rather than simply hoping to gain traction with non-paying users via “cool” apps.
The premier Web 2.0 champion, Michael Arrington, showcases the functionality of start-ups, but still scant concern for financial traction, as his latest Web 2.0 profile today reconfirms: “Women. Clothes. Style. Ugh.”
Cutts says “Bah humbug” today and Arrington says “Ugh” this eve before the holidays.
I say CHEERS to Web 2.0 revenues and profits in 2007!
