Google revenue climbs 24 percent

Google just released its earnings for the second quarter of the year, with revenue increasing to $6.82 billion, up 24 percent from the same period last year. The numbers were basically in-line with analyst expectations.

Specifically, when the traffic-acquisition costs paid to partners are deducted, Google made $5.1 billion in revenue, more than the predicted $5 billion. Excluding costs, the company earned $6.45, below the $6.48 that analysts were expecting.

You can read the report for yourself, but here are some of the noteworthy points:

• Google-owned sites earned $4.5 billion in revenue, up 24 percent from last year.
• Google’s AdSense partner sites earned $2.06 billion, up 23 percent from last year.
• Paid clicks increased 15 percent from last year.
• Cost-per-click paid for Google ads increased 4 percent.
• Google employed 21,805 full-time workers at the end of the quarter, compared to 20,621 at the end of March.
• Google now has $30.1 billion in cash, up from $26.5 billion at the end of last quarter.

Wall Street seems relatively disappointed with the results — Google shares were down 4 percent, to $474.05, in after-hours trading as of 1:30 Pacific Time.