In a stunning development, Google announced today that it will be shutting down operations around the world, effective immediately. At a hastily-called press conference, CEO Eric E. Schmidt gave no clear reason for the shutdown, but did say that this was definitely the end of Google as we know it. The shockwave has hit online marketers, SEO firms, and coders especially hard, as many of these firms depended on Google for their existence. Now, it is unclear as to what will become of many of these companies, and the Internet marketing industry as a whole.

“I just don’t know what we’re going to do,” stated Cy Cyber, president of a SEO firm called Searching for Gold. “Google has always been our number one source for getting our clients the best results as far as search engine rankings. We’ve always told them that a top ranking on Google will send business their way faster than you could say ‘online millionaire.’ Now I guess we’ll have to go elsewhere. I hope this doesn’t impact our business. I hope we don’t have to lay off any coders. I mean, Google and SEO always have gone hand-in-hand.”

In fact, the Google shutdown has Internet marketing experts wondering if SEO firms without Google will even survive. Ollie Online, president of the Internet marketing firm called Click You, thinks that just the opposite would be the case. “I think the demise of Google will be a godsend for SEO firms,” he said. “Now, instead of placing all their eggs in the Google basket, they will start ‘spreading the wealth,’ you might say, amongst all the other search engines out there. And I think that’s a good thing. Google has been the top dog for too long. It’s about time some of these other companies got a chance.

However, many online marketers don’t share Online’s view of the situation. Internet marketer Lacy Lace, president of shoe marketer ShoesYouCanUse.com says that she never bothered to see where she was ranked on any other search engine besides Google. “Google has always been ‘the man’ when it comes to search engines,” Lace said. “Now I’m not sure what the future holds in store for us. I guess there are other search engines out there, but I’m not sure where will concentrate our marketing efforts now.”

Meanwhile, the Internet is buzzing with rumors that Google’s Schmidt will soon be opening a new online business. There is no word on what search engine he will use...


Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental. This work has not been endorsed by Google or any person or business entities mentioned above. Google™ search engine is a trademark of Google Inc.