Google Inc. is actively on the lookout for acquisitions. For the first time, Google is considering forging alliances with private equity companies to help it structure its deals.

According to a statement from Don Harrison, Google's mergers and acquisitions chief, Google may invest cash to get a return on the investment. The company may also take part in a deal to purchase an asset.

Google is the world's most popular search engine and is closing deals at a pace of one every other week, Harrison said in an interview at the Bloomberg Next Big Thing Summit. He added that Google is administering a method called the "toothbrush test" to assess the frequency of use of its target users.

More than 11,000 transactions and mergers have been announced this year with an average of US$168 million. The total value is priced at US$1.04 trillion according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Earlier this month, California based Google acquired Waze Inc. for US$1.1 billion.