Google: understanding its origin and evolution

Through our SEO Agency Optimize 360

Since its creation, Google has become much more than just a search engine.

Today, the American company is an integral part of our daily lives, offering a wide range of services such as Google Earth, Google Maps and Google Play.

To better understand its current influence, our SEO Agency looks at the definition and history of Google.

What is Google?

Google is an American technology company founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in Silicon Valley.Today, it is best known for its famous search engine of the same name, as well as for a number of other products, software and operating systems.Its flagship products include Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), Google Ads, YouTubeAndroid, Chrome OS and Google Assistant.

The search engine, our core business

Google's central and original product is undeniably its search engine.

It has been designed to enable users to find the information they are looking for on the web quickly and easily. Using a complex and constantly updated algorithm, Google indexes and ranks websites according to their relevance to the keywords typed in by Internet users.

Over the years, the search giant has refined and enhanced its offering by adding new functions, such as the voice search or search for images, videos and products for sale on the Web.

To optimise their online presence, companies often call on the services of SEO agencies to improve their search engine visibility.

The origins of Google: from Backrub to google.stanford.edu

The Google story began at Stanford University in 1996, when Larry Page and Sergey Brin decided to work together on a search engine project called Backrub.

The central concept of this project is to assess the relevance of a web page by taking into account the number and quality of the links that lead to it. This approach, based on the principle of academic citation, seems promising and has encouraged the two students to continue their research.

In September 1997, Page and Brin decided to find a new name for their project.

In the end, they opted for "Google", a reference to the mathematical term "googol" corresponding to a 1 followed by 100 zeros. This choice reflects the duo's original mission: to organise the vast amount of information available on the Internet.

The search engine was officially launched as a website accessible from the following address google.stanford.edu. It quickly gained in popularity and attracted the attention of potential investors.

The creation of the company and its rapid development

In September 1998, Google Inc. was born and set up in a garage in Menlo Park, California.

At the time, the company employed a handful of people and focused primarily on its search engine.

However, aware of the potential offered by the flourishing Internet market, it quickly began to expand its offering.

The emergence of other products and services

In the early years, the company diversified by introducing a number of innovative products:

- Google AdWords (now Google Ads) in 2000, enabling advertisers to create targeted advertising campaigns;
- Google Toolbar in 2001, to facilitate searches directly from the browser;
- the acquisition of Blogger in 2003, a blogging platform that is still widely used today;
- Google Maps in 2004, an online mapping service that is revolutionising the way we find our way around;
- and many other innovations such as Google Earth, Google Finance, Google Scholar, Google Translate and Google Fiber.

Over the years, some services have also been discontinued or merged with other products, such as Picasa, Google Reader and Orkut.

Strategic acquisitions

Google has also developed its growth through a number of acquisitions. The most notable of these include :

1. YouTube in 2006, which has since become the most popular video-sharing platform;
2. DoubleClick in 2007, a company specialising in online advertising that enables Google to improve its advertising platform;
3. Motorola Mobility in 2011, This acquisition underlines the ambitions of the American giant in the field of smartphones and tablets, even if the company was sold a few years later;
4. Nest Labs in 2014, a company specialising in connected objects for the home (smart thermostat, security system, etc.).

These acquisitions have enabled Google to strengthen its presence in key markets and consolidate its dominance.

The birth of Alphabet: when Google becomes the subsidiary of a holding company

In August 2015, Larry Page announced the creation of a parent company called Alphabet Inc, of which Google became a subsidiary.

The aim of this new structure is to clarify the diversity of the Group's activities and enable better management.

As a result, each Alphabet entity now has its own management team, with Sundar Pichai at the head of Google.

Since then, Google has continued its meteoric rise, leaving little room for competition.

With its many products and services, it is an essential part of our daily lives. Who could have imagined that this simple search engine, launched two decades ago from a garage, would become one of the biggest technology companies in the world?

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