Google: Core business is slowing down

                               

                         

                  Google's total advertising revenue was $15.5 billion last quarter, up 11 per cent from the same period of last year, it said in its earnings. The number of clicks on ads ("paid clicks") was also up 13 per cent year-over-year. But it's not all good news for Google, whose advertising revenue accounts for nearly 90 per cent of its total sales. According to BI Intelligence, Google's ad sales growth has been on a steady decline over the last few years. Just 3 years ago, it was growing more than 20 per cent, but by last year, the growth dipped to around 15 per cent. Google's cost per click (CPC), or how much it can charge its ads, has also dropped by another 7 per cent last quarter, which hints the company could possibly be having trouble with its most important business