Internet search and advertising giant Google has reported a 24% increase in profits for the second quarter of this year.
Net profit rose to $1.84 billion, while revenue also rose by 24% from a year earlier to $6.82 billion.
But the figures were not as strong as Wall Street analysts had expected, as its costs rose by a higher than expected 22%. This was because it took on more staff and spent heavily on research and development.
Google is increasingly moving into new areas - such as smartphone operating systems and mobile advertising - in search of future growth.
'Google had a strong second quarter,' chief executive Eric Schmidt said in a statement. He said there was solid growth in its core business.
