Earnings preview: Google expected to shine once again

Will Google, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) be able to stay afloat with its track record of good earnings reports this Thursday when it reports Q2 numbers? The internet search and advertising giant is expected to have a 33% lift over the year-ago quarter. To me, that sounds like an unstoppable freight train like it has for a few years now.

Google's growth means that the addiction many of us have to finding information anywhere at any time is playing right into Google's mantra of having universally-accessible information at our fingertips anywhere, with any device. Think the U.S. economy is affecting ad spending on Google? If analyst predictions are right this Thursday after the bell, you may be proved wrong.

The 25-analyst estimate is for a $4/share profit for Google. Any tech company would love to have that figure. The company, which has partnered with competitor Yahoo, Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) and rules many of the markets it competes in (specifically, search and advertising), still has not found an anchor to keep it grounded in terms of making money. Although most still comes from search text advertising, will that growth slow down in the near future? The more that's been speculated in the recent past, the more it hasn't turned out that way.