Google (GOOG) bests its rivals, again

There have been concerns that the rate at which people clicking on the text ads next to Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) search results has been falling. These concerns caused spirited debate before the company's last earnings report and may have even pushed the firm's stock price down. But earnings were excellent, and much of the fear went away.

Now it turns out the Google ads are doing better and better, and clicks on ads at rivals are falling. The Wall Street Journal, using comScore (NASDAQ: SCOR) data, reports that Google's performance improved in April and "Paid clicks for Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Yahoo Inc (NASDAQ:YHOO) meanwhile declined during the month, according to the data." The paper reports that Google's performance in the U.S. was 20% ahead of expectations.

Good for Google, but very bad for its two chief rivals. The information indicates that even if Microsoft buys Yahoo!, the combined operation will have a much smaller market share in search than Google, and its advertising will perform worse. If Microsoft and Yahoo! stay separate, their uphill battles could face extremely long odds.

From all the data available, Google's search technology brings back better results for consumers. Its technology for matching ads to searches also appears to work much better. The fight for the domination of this critical portion of the internet is over. The only question is whether the second and third place firms can make money long-term.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com and author of the Ten Stocks Under $10 letter.