Google's revenue fell short of Wall Street's expectations as growth in Internet advertising slowed in the most-recent quarter, offsetting a modest improvement in ad pricing, sending its shares down about 3%.
The total number of ads, or paid clicks, expanded by 17% in the third quarter. That was down from the 25% growth rate that Google delivered in the second quarter.
But online advertising rates, which have been mired in a multi-year decline, moderated slightly in the third quarter, declining 2% year-on-year. That marked an improvement from the 6% decline in "cost-per-click" or CPCs in the second quarter.
Shares of Google fell 2.7% to $510.11 in extended trading yesterday.
"The CPC decline abated. That's a big positive," argued BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis. "If CPCs flatline that's going to help the core meaningfully."
Google posted $16.52 billion in revenue for the three months ended 30 September, compared to $13.75 billion in the year ago period. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were looking for revenue of $16.57 billion in the latest quarter.
Google ramped up its spending during the quarter. The company increased its headcount by roughly 3 000 employees, contributing to a 46% rise in research and development costs.
On Thursday, Google announced it had appointed Omid Kordestani as its new chief business officer, replacing Nikesh Arora, who had departed a quarter ago to join Japan's Softbank. The chief business officer is considered a key position, overseeing all the company's revenue-generating activities and serving as a liaison to investors and Wall Street.
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