HISTORY OF GOOGLE
Google was officially launched in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin to market Google Search, which has become the most used web-based search engine. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, students at Stanford University in California, developed a search algorithm first (1996) known as “BackRub”, with the help of Scott Hassan and Alan Steremberg.
The search engine soon proved successful, and the expanding company moved several times, finally settling at Mountain View in 2003. This marked a phase of rapid growth, with the company making its initial public offering in 2004 and quickly becoming one of the world’s largest media companies.
THE SEARCH
History of Google Search – The Search” by John Battelle explores how Google and its rivals rewrote business rules and transformed our culture. Moreover, chapter 7, titled The Search Economy, caught my attention. It refers to how a small e-commerce store lost its 1st-page ranking on Google when Google made an unexpected algorithm change in 2003, virtually wiping out its online business. Also, see Google search and search engine spam.
GOOGLE GIVETH, GOOGLE TAKETH AWAY
Those of you who are webmasters already know how this happens. Sometimes, the tweaking of Google’s indexing algorithm lays waste to thousands of mom-and-pop business websites. These businesses depended on their Google listings for their income and livelihoods. Furthermore, many small businesses cannot improve SEO results every time Google implements a change.
Knowing that the Google paradigm will always change is reason enough not to put all your marketing eggs in one basket. Your unpaid or “organic” search rankings are free. But how many times have you heard the axiom “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
GOOGLE STILL LIKES LINKS
I’ve been getting tons of automated requests for two-way and three-way linking. I can’t believe what these people are thinking. The rules are displayed in black and white on Google’s website; “Build pages for users, not search engines.”
The fact of the matter is you should link to a website that you believe will be of value to your website viewers. That’s it: no schemes, no tricks, no multi-linking. Provide your visitors with good content and good links. Period.
VERTICAL CHANNELS AND DIRECTORIES
Websites like Global Spec (for engineers) and Find Law (for lawyers) are quasi-vertical advertising channels and global directories. Vertical marketing is a great way to target businesses in the same genre you practice and participate in. It’s also a great way for regional companies to quickly enter new markets or regions.
For web guys like myself, there are similar verticals or directories. But here’s the rub. These directories have an unfair advantage over Google. But then again, who said life is fair?
Directories have “muddied the Internet waters.” With so many links from many sites across so many states, it is equivalent to being a 500-pound linking gorilla. I keep hoping the next Google update will place these linking monsters accordingly, but that has yet to happen. Once everyone catches onto this flawed “link ranking” scheme, searching for any term or phrase in Google will provide you nothing but a page full of directory websites.
SEARCHING BEYOND SEARCH ENGINES
AI has significantly transformed how people search for information in several key ways:
1. Conversational search has replaced keyword-based queries.
2. Search has become more personalized. AI systems analyze past behavior and preferences to deliver results tailored to individual needs.
3. AI-powered search assistants can now synthesize information from multiple sources.
4. Visual and voice searching have expanded how people can initiate searches.
5. Search has become more proactive, with AI systems suggesting relevant information before explicitly being asked.
6. For specialized knowledge, domain-specific AI assistants are increasingly replacing general search engines.
7. The boundary between searching and creating has blurred, as people use AI not just to find existing information but to generate new content, analyses, and insights based on available knowledge.
These changes have made information retrieval faster and more efficient while creating new challenges around information verification, critical thinking, and digital literacy.
Also, see:
AI SEARCH ENGINES, SUPER HACKS, GOOGLE RANKING, EMAIL HOSTING, REDDIT AND MORE.
DIRECTORIES DOMINATE OVER SMALL BUSINESS WEBSITES ON GOOGLE
WEB DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORY WEBSITES
ADVERTISING DIRECTORY WEBSITE DESIGN VIRGINIA
WEBSITE COUPON DIRECTORY DESIGN
History of Google Search
