Web Solutions - Portal Development
Google: Search Engine
Beginning of the Saga!
There is no need to go over about the history of Google Inc. Without this smart search engine extracting information from the web could have become a nightmare. Also, the term ‘to google’ has gained such popularity that Oxford Dictionary has added it in its listings. It was launched by two Ph.D. students at Stanford University, California, just to serve as a common ground to retrieve relevant information from a massive pool of data. Today, this technology developed by these students is creating wonders in the online media, not to mention the revenue it is generating!
The domain google.com was registered on September 14, 1997, and the company was incorporated as Google Inc. on September 7, 1998 at a friend's garage (yes, you read it right!) in Menlo Park, California. The total initial investment raised for the new company came around $1.1 million, including a $100,000 check by Andy Bechtolsheim, one of the founders of Sun Microsystems. Talking about the revenue, Google’s worldwide gross revenue is expected to reach $11.8 billion in 2007. Yes, from an initial investment of around $1.2 million, Google has reached a whopping over $11.8 billion!
Features
- Search – Allows users to search web content based on specific keywords
- Image search – This is an interesting feature with which users can locate images on the net using keyword search
- Google News - An automated news aggregator provided by Google Inc
- Google Maps - A free web mapping service application and technology provided by Google that powers many map-based services including the Google Maps website, Google Ride Finder and embedded maps on third-party websites via the Google Maps API
Achievements
In February of 2002, AdWords, the self-service advertising system of Google, received a major overhaul, including a CPC pricing model that makes search advertising lucrative for both small and large businesses
On October 9, 2006, Google announced that it would buy the popular online video site YouTube for $1.65 billion. Meanwhile, Google Video signed an agreement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group, for both companies to deliver music videos to the site.
On October 31, 2006, Google announced that it had purchased JotSpot, a company that offered enterprise social software, mainly targeting small and medium sized businesses.
Cited by Fortune magazine as the number one company to work for!