← All questions
Strategywarm-up
Explain the business model of Google Search in two minutes.
How to approach it
Structure it: who the users are, who pays, what they pay for, and why the model works at scale.
How a strong answer opens
“Users search for free, and advertisers pay when someone clicks their ad. Auctions set those prices, and scale makes both the results and the ads better.”
Outline of a strong answer
Try answering out loud for a few minutes before you open this.
- Users search free
- Advertisers pay for clicks on ads
- Auctions set prices
- Scale and data improve results and ads
- Name the risks: AI answers, regulation, ad blockers
- Close with why it remains so profitable
Where this question usually goes wrong
Saying "they sell ads" and stopping, without explaining auctions, why scale matters, or the risks to the model.
Learn the method
Monetization and pricing in Module 5, Product strategy.
The full kit has worked answers in full, start to finish, for every round type. $129 once.
More strategy questions
- How would you price a new premium tier for a free photo storage app?
- How should WhatsApp make money without showing ads in chats?
- Should a free productivity app move to a freemium model or a free trial?
- Should a large retailer buy an e-commerce startup or build its own online store?
- How would you grow a B2B SaaS product from 1,000 to 10,000 paying customers?