google doesn't make money off "search". you don't pay them to click the search button. Google gets paid when people pay for you clicking on those ads (or view

google doesn't make money off "search". you don't pay them to click the search button. Google gets paid when people pay for you clicking on those ads (or viewing them with doubleclick). If the money that is spent on those ads+clicks is spent elsewhere that's the worst thing that could happen to Google. Search share matters, because that share is matched with ad inventory being filled. If that inventory isn't filled, but they are still high in search shares, it doesn't matter. Odds are this won't happen though. Here's what is worrisome to me though: Referral traffic is a good indicator of where things are going. Less and less traffic is coming from search referrals, and more and more is coming from social networks. If the paid referrals follow suit with the organic referrals , then Houston has a problem.