Google has reported a 15% rise in its revenue during the fourth quarter of 2014 to $18bn, falling short of Wall Street expectations mainly due to declining online ad prices and adverse foreign exchange rates.
The search major generated $4.76bn in profits during the quarter, up 30% over the corresponding period in 2013.
The average price of its online ads, or ‘cost per click’, dropped by 3% year-over-year, while a 14% rise in number of paid clicks was reported.
Google’s sites contributed to 69% of overall revenues, reaching $12.43bn for the quarter, with its partner sites generating $3.72bn, accounting to 20% of total revenues.
The company’s revenues from outside of the US reached $10.23bn, contributing to 56% of total revenues, compared to 58% during the earlier quarter and 56% during the corresponding quarter in 2013.
The number of staff at Google rose to around 2,000 during the period, increasing the total number of staff to 53,600.
2014 overall saw the tech firm generate $66bn in revenue, up 19% year on year.
However, reports reveal that the effects of shedding of Motorola handset unit boosted Google’s net income for the fourth quarter by 41% to $4.76bn.
