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Google Turns 14

Google Turns 14 ? A Look at its Past and Future

It?s hard to believe that it?s just 14 years since Google first hit our computer screens, but this week the online leviathan celebrated its 14th birthday. Originally conceived late in the Summer of 1998, in that short time Google has conquered and dominated the world of search, and moved into an array of other digital fields. In recognition of the search giant?s significant contribution to the continuing development of the internet, we take a look at some of the ways in which Google has rocked our digital world, and how it plans to take things a step further. Keeping SEO experts on their toes

By the year 2000, more than 18 million people were estimated to be using Google to find information every day. Quickly it became THE search engine of choice, and, not just in the English-speaking world, Google also became a verb in everyday use.

Global domination was not far off, but Google was never satisfied with what it offered, and continued to tweak its algorithms to deliver better, more accurate search results. For the next decade, and to this day, webmasters and search engine optimisation consultants would agonise over Google?s every move and how it would affect their ranking in the results pages.

Revolutionising paid online advertising

As well as helping internet users find what they were looking for, Google helped advertisers get their marketing messages to the right people with their AdWords program, for a price of course. Soon after, the launch of AdSense gave them an easy way to extend this advertising to third party websites, and gave webmasters a chance to make a little extra cash in the process.

The future of Google is Now

Google Now to be precise ? a virtual personal assistant, in a similar vein to Apple?s Siri. According to Google: ?It tells you today?s weather before you start your day, how much traffic to expect before you leave for work, when the next train will arrive as you?re standing on the platform??

Still in its fledgling stages, Now was launched for the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean mobile operating system earlier this year. It represents a substantial paradigm shift away from users searching for what they need, towards Google pre-emptively giving them what it believes they want. If Now takes off in a big way, SEO specialists and webmasters may be left scratching their heads once more. That is, until Google gives them the next answer?

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jon Celeste .