Google To Sell Performics

Finally Google comes to it’s senses and has decided to sell Performics, the search engine marketing company they aquired when they purchased Doubleclick.

Google’s DoubleClick to sell search marketing unit

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Google Inc plans to split off its search marketing arm from its affiliate marketing business and sell the search marketing business at its recently acquired DoubleClick advertising technology unit.

Tom Phillips, director of DoubleClick’s integration efforts with Google, said the company wants to dispose of the search marketing business to eliminate the perception Google might favor the unit in its search results and other efforts.

“It’s clear to us that we do not want to be in the search engine marketing business,” Phillips wrote. “Maintaining objectivity in both search and advertising is paramount to Google’s mission and core to the trust we ask from our users.”

I applaud google’s decision. As Danny Sullivan said, it was a definite conflict of interest and not something that would build trust with users.