Google finally completes acquisition of AdMob

Google's AdMob buy received FTC approval last week

Google has finalised its $750m (£520m) acquisition of AdMob after the deal was approved by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

Susan Wojcicki, vice president of product management at Google, explained in a blog post yesterday that the company will now use AdMob's technology to offer a number of new services.

"It is clear that mobile advertising is becoming a much larger part of our clients' and partners' strategies, and with this acquisition it's now a central part of our own business," she said.

"In continuing to invest in this highly competitive area, we'll be bringing together our technology, resources and expertise in search advertising with AdMob's innovative solutions for advertising on mobile web sites and in mobile applications."

Wojcicki also highlighted the phenomenal growth of mobile search owing to the proliferation of smartphones and consumers' awareness of their capabilities.

Google's mobile search volumes have grown more than fivefold over the past two years, according to Wojcicki, and smartphone users searched 62 per cent more in the first three months of 2010 than they did in the previous three months.

The acquisition was finally approved last week after months of delays as the FTC considered whether it would have given Google an unfair advantage in the advertising market.