Google Removes Froogle Link from Home Page

Google removes the Froogle link from their home page and replaces it with a link to Google Video. Google says this was a philosophical switch to help their users find new video content rather than to drive more traffic to a particular section of Google. However, many business professionals find this to be a more strategic switch to drive more traffic to their video section.

According to an article I found on NewsFactor Magazine Online, Google Video snagged twice its usual share of clicks on Google properties the day it took the Froogle position on Google's home page, while Froogle's share declined, according to data from Hitwise. Before the switch, about half of Google Video's traffic came from the Google home page; the day of the switch, that amount jumped to 70 percent.

I definitely disagree with Google that this was a philosophical switch and agree that this was a strategic ploy to drive more traffic to Google Video and ultimately formulate more money through their Google AdWords advertising program. I believe Froogle has not done as well as expected and their Google Video has a lot of potential. I feel they wanted to increase their exposure and drive more traffic to their plethora of videos in their library.

To read more about this on MSNBC, click here.