Submission + - Why Google's Encrypted Search Could Drive Advertisers Insane (slashdot.org)
Nerval's Lobster writes: Over at Business Insider, a new article suggests that Google encrypting search will lead to widespread advertiser dissatisfaction. “Web site owners can no longer look at Google Analytics to see exactly which words people use when searching Google to find their sites,” it reads. “A lot of people who conduct marketing on the web are freaking out about it: Now, they complain they’re basically flying blind.” Google’s Webmaster Tools platform is still active, and offers some of the necessary data via sampling; but advertisers want the full dataset. For its part, Google doesn't seem to really care about those concerns, arguing in a blog post that the Webmaster Tools, which generates an aggregated list of the top search queries in the past 30 days for a particular Website, is good enough. Google’s new strategy might prove an annoyance for advertisers and publishers, but the search-engine giant is betting few of them will actually leave over it. That being said, any dissatisfaction in that relationship is a ripe opportunity for Twitter, Facebook, and other Google competitors to step in, provided they can provide the necessary analytics; indeed, Facebook could use the opportunity to aggressively pursue a selection of Google clients.
