Internet search engine Google has unveiled an 82 per cent increase in fourth-quarter profits, but its results were below Wall Street expectations.
The US firm said net profit in the last three months of 2005 rose to $372.2m, or $1.22 per share, compared to $204.10m for the same period a year ago.
Analysts had expected net profit to reach about $1.50 per share, according to BBC News.
Revenue rose to $1.92bn, up 86 per cent on the same quarter last year.
Google attributes the rise in its quarterly profits to an increase in its online search advertising.
Founded by internet entrepreneurs Sergey Brine and Larry Page in California, the company receives money from advertisers each time an internet user clicks on adverts displayed next to its search results.
Revenue from the above search advertising rose to $1,098bn, a 24 per cent increase on the third quarter of 2005.
"We are very pleased with our results for the fourth quarter as we achieved excellent performance across our businesses," said Google chief executive Eric Schmidt.
"We generated significant revenue growth in our core search and advertising business, driven by continued strength in traffic and monetization.
"We will continue to invest significantly as we develop innovative new products and as we extend our core technologies to new user access points and to different channels."
Shares in Google fell 19 per cent in after-hours trading.
Google has also denied a report that it was in negotiations to purchase online music retailer Napster.
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