A Look at The History of Google: The Most Popular Search Engine

Archie was among the first effective web-based search engines that was launched in 1990. This was when internet searches started becoming popular. Its launch was then followed by the evolution of simpler and more powerful search engines, including Yahoo, Excite, Infoseek, and Google, which is the most popular search engine today. Starting from 1998, Google came into existence and slowly became an integral part of our lives. Let us have a deeper dive into the history of Google and understand everything in detail:

The Origin of Google

Google was officially started in 1998, but its story began in 1995. It was when Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two PhD students at Stanford University, started working on ‘Backub,’ which was a research project. They wanted to find a more effective way to search and drive information from the massive internet, which was expanding more and more with every passing day. Keeping this aim in mind, they renamed their project ‘Google’ in 1997. Google is derived from a word called ‘Googol,’ which means number 1 followed by 100 zeroes. Then on September 4, 1998, Larry and Sergery finally founded Google Inc.

Soon after its launch, Google started making headlines and caught the eyes of many investors. The year 1998 alone saw an indexing of more than 60 million pages on Google. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, also invested in Google in the later years. It was in 1999 when Google finally removed its beta tag and that’s when the real growth of Google started.

Google’s Evolution During 2000s

The decade 2000-2010 was the decade of Google’s immense growth. Google launched various products, including Google News, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Chrome, and more. We all know the significance of these products in today’s world. Let us quickly have a look at what happened in the 2000s in the Google company’s history:

• Google AdWords was introduced in 2000.
• Google toolbar browser extension was launched in 2000.
• Google filed a patent for its PageRank software in 2001.
• Google Image Search came into existence in 2001.
• Google News was introduced in 2002 and Google Maps in 2005.
• Google acquired YouTube in 2006.
• Google’s first confirmed search algorithm update was the Boston update, which was launched in February 2003.
• Google Suggests, which is the autocomplete feature on Google Search, was added to it in the year 2008. 

Google’s Increasing Popularity in the 2010s

In the 2010s, more Google products were launched, including Google Drive, Google Photos, etc. Not only this, but this was the decade of several more advancements for Google. The company made various upgrades to its search algorithms, aiming to make Google search more reliable for users. Here are a few things that happened in the history of Google in the 2010s:

• In 2011, Google introduced Schema.org to help websites better communicate with search engine crawlers.
• Another feature, Google Instant, was launched in 2010, which shows relevant search results as the query is being typed by the user.
• Featured Snippets (which were first launched as Quick Answers and did not contain any source URL link until 2013), were launched in 2015.
• Google also introduces numerous updates to improve its search algorithm, including the Panda update, the Penguin update, and the Hummingbird update.
• Apart from these, Google launched the Big Daddy update in 2017 and the mobile speed algorithm update in 2018.

Also Read: Google’s 25 Most Unforgettable Updates

What Can Be Said About The Future of Google?

Google is continuously updating its search algorithm updates to improve user experience by improving the quality of search. The search engine’s algorithm now is much more advanced than it was two decades ago. Google now prioritizes sites that publish genuinely helpful and high-quality content and pushes down sites that publish low-quality content to manipulate search engines.

Also, Google seems to be more inclined toward sites that offer better experiences on mobile devices.  Google’s mobile-first indexing update and the recent announcement stating that non-mobile-responsive sites will not be indexed, clearly indicate the importance of making sites mobile-friendly. Google already tops the list of most popular search engines globally. We can expect it to become even more reliable and smarter in the coming years.

Summing Up

Google’s history is truly a perfect example of how continuous efforts can result in immense growth and faster success. The company gained popularity just within a few years of its launch and has now become the top search engine. It is essential for website owners and SEO professionals to be aware of all the updates launched by Google to understand how Google’s search algorithms have improved over the years. If you need any assistance with your site’s SEO strategy, you can connect with our SEO experts today!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the history of Google's founding?

Ans. Google Inc. was founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, PhD students at Standford University, on 4 September 1998. They aimed to make online searches more reliable and find a better solution to find information from the vast amounts of information available on the internet. 

2. How has Google's search algorithm evolved over the years?

Ans. Google’s search algorithms have changed to a great extent over the years. Instead of just relying on SEO elements like links, keywords, etc, Google’s algorithm now prioritizes high-quality content that is also SEO-friendly. 

3. How did Google become a leading player in mobile technology?

Ans. Google became a leading player in mobile technology by launching the Google Android Operating System, which was an open-source operating system and a modified version of Linux Kernel.

4. What were some of Google's major milestones in the 2000s?

Ans. Some of Google’s major milestones in 2000s are listed below:

• Google filed a patent for its PageRank software
• New launches: Google Maps, Gmail, Google News, Google Imae Search, and Google AdWords
• Google’s first confirmed search algorithm update, the Boston update, was launched in 2003.

5. What are some of Google's key acquisitions over the years?

Ans. Some key acquisitions of Google include the acquisition of Next New Networks (now YouTube), JotSpot (now Google Sites), GrandCentral (now Google Voice), etc. 

6. What impact has Google had on the internet and digital advertising?

Ans. The evolution of Google has revolutionized the way online search works. It has simplified online search for users, making information more accessible and reliable. Also, it has provided businesses with the opportunity to increase their brand awareness and extend their reach globally by doing relevant digital advertising.

7. How has Google contributed to advancements in artificial intelligence?

Ans. Google is making use of deep learning techniques to make its AI algorithms more reliable and generate human-like responses by properly understanding the user query.

8. What are some of the controversies and challenges Google has faced?

Ans. Some of the common challenges faced by Google include antitrust issues, privacy concerns, external threats, etc. The company has also been in controversies due to its company culture and misuse of search results.

9. How does Google continue to innovate and shape the future of technology?

Ans. Google has continuously been coming up with new innovations and adapting to advanced technologies like AI and Machine learning to fulfill the demands of today’s market. With this, the future of search seems to improve even more in the near future.

10. How has Google's business model evolved?

Ans. Google has evolved from being a mere search engine for displaying solutions to search queries to being one of the most high-quality search engines that keeps user experience in mind and shows relevant and reliable results by better understanding the context of simple as well as complex queries.