Google's Q2 Results Today

This afternoon, Google (GOOG) will announce the numbers for the second quarter of this year, and analysts are expecting a rough time of it. Rough, of course, is relative for this company, which still rakes in the cash and exceeded the dismal predictions last quarter.

Reuters surveyed industry analysts' projections, and here are the numbers it predicts for this afternoon. The company will report $5.49 billion in revenue, up 2.3 percent from this time last year. Earnings will come in at $5.08 a share, up from $4.63 12 months ago. Although the average amount advertisers bid on search keywords is confidential, Wall Street's collective gut says it dropped in the last few months, which may account for Google's decision to expand advertising to previously ad-free sites, as well as a new, less restrictive trademark policy. And there's always Bing, we guess.

Still, Forbes writer Quentin Hardy thinks Google's still the best bet in the tech world. Even if advertising slips, he writes, that's entirely a function of the larger economy, and advertisers are still likely to go with Google's efficient search ads and pay-per-click compensation scheme. "Google may not walk on water," he writes. "It just treads it higher than any other company on the Internet."

We'll know for sure in a few hours.