While he doesn't say just what Facebook's flaws are, he sees the Bay Area rival as entirely assailable through a unique Google approach to the category, much as Google fought past other search engines roughly a decade ago.

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According to January 2013 data by comScore, Google dominated online video category in the U.S., coming in on top in most metrics including unique viewers, minutes per viewers, videos, and, most importantly, video ads.

FORBES: Google Could Top $1,000 If Mobile Strategy And YouTube Video Ads Deliver

As the downturn squeezes ad spending further, Sterling says that stingy companies will continue to give an added boost to search marketing, a category where Google receives around 71% of all spending, according to ad-tracking firm eMarketer.

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