Just the other day, a package arrived in the mail from Danville, California.  The company line in the return address was plain and simple:

GOOGLE

What was this behemoth of the internet sending me in a package?  I certainly hadn't ordered anything. 

Maybe it was some Google Juice?  Pretty close, actually. 

First there was a letter.

    "Dear Brian A Block,

     Since you began advertising with Google Adwords six years ago, you've played a key role in our
     success and we hope we have in yours.

     As a sign of our appreciation, we'd like you to have a few gifts: a limited-edition gourmet cookbook
     full of recipes created by Google's talented chefs, a chef's apron you can wear in your own kitchen, and
     a collection of advanced strategies and tips to help you achieve even more with AdWords."

Here's some photos of my Google Gifts:

Here I am proudly sporting my new Google apron:

The cookbook contains an interesting assortment of recipes ranging from Crab Cakes with Cajun Remoulade to Cheeky Monkey Mudslide Cookies.

Over the years, I've spent thousands of dollars on Google Adwords and definitely seen the result of the traffic to my websites and increase in business.  Many REALTORS compete for search terms and pay Google lots of money in "pay per click" advertising.

Pay per click advertising has been Google's bread and butter.

Since I started actively blogging in March 2007 and on Active Rain since July 2007, I've been steadily and significantly decreasing my expenditures on Google Adwords as my organic search traffic has increased exponentially.  This has resulted in enormous savings and bottom line dollars in my pocket -- not in Google's.

Shhhhhh!  Don't tell them.

I want more Google Goodies!