At this time, the google search o Google Search is a means of searching for content on the web worldwide. Since it was created in 1997, Google search has become a central point for many web activities. Web search is only one component of the overall portfolio of Google Inc. Despite everything, it is the main platform to deliver text or PLA ads to your customers and, therefore, It forms the central base of advertising revenue.
Development
The Google search was designed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in the United States in 1995. Despite everything, the two founders did not initially agree on the exact design. In summary, the two started the first search engine called Backrub at Stanford University, USA in 1996. The university's own servers were used for its operation. In short, Larry and Sergey found a separate name for their search engine: Google. They borrowed the name from the mathematical term "googol." Denotes a 1 with 100 zeros. A number that roughly describes the enormous amount of web content that a search engine needs to process.
In 1998, Google search was registered for the first time in the Top 100 Computer Magazine Websites. Until 1999, the Google team consisted of just eight workers. In August of the same year, they moved to their first offices in Mountain View, California.
In 2000, Google search was available in 15 different language versions and the search engine index is the largest in the world with 1 billion URLs. Other notable steps are the launch of the Google AdWords ad network and the introduction of the Google Toolbar. Through AdWords, the Group soon had sufficient funds to further boost Google search. Using the toolbar, the search function is even more widespread. At the same time, cooperation with Yahoo! ensures that Google search becomes the standard across all Yahoo!
2001 is a great year for Google, because it was the year that image search began and Eric Schmidt joined the executive team. At the same time, the first headquarters outside the United States opens in Tokyo. The search index has grown to more than three billion URLs.
The growth of the Google search index is briefly listed here to demonstrate its rapid growth:
- January 1998 (business creation) 25,000,000 indexed pages
- August 2000 1,060,000,000 pages indexed
- January 2002 2,073,000,000 indexed pages
- February 2003 3,083,000,000 indexed pages
- September 2004 4,285,000,000 indexed pages
- November 2004 8,058,044,651 indexed pages
The group no longer publishes the exact number of indexed documents. The search engine is even capable of identifying new websites. In this way, you no longer need to register.
One year later, in 2002, Google search can be used in 72 different languages. Typical of Google, its workers show their sense of humor not only on April 1, by publishing a version in Klingon. 2002 was also the year that Google search was expanded with Google News as a separate search and Google Shopping.
In 2003, the verb "to google" was mentioned publicly for the first time in the United States. That same year, Google Search is enabled in more than 150 countries. Since 2006, the verb "to google" also has its own entry in the Oxford English Dictionary.
The subsequent history of Google search shows how the search engine business gradually grows and potentially takes over additional areas. The most important Google search extensions with the corresponding years are briefly listed below:
- 2004: Google Local, orkut, Google Desktop Search, Google Scholar, Google Libros.
- 2005: Google Maps, Mobile Web Search, Google Blog Search, Google Transit, Google Analytics.
2006: Google Finance, Google News for Mobile, Google Trends; Google Patents, Google Checkout.
2008: Google Chrome browser with Google search by default using the central search bar.
2009: Rich Snippets in the SERPs.
2010: Google Places, Google Voice, Google Instant.
2011: Google Offers.
The result is that Google search is no longer basically a simple web search, but a complex search engine that can be used on all devices specifically when searching for documents or content. At the same time, Google uses its vast data supply to take universal search a step further. The fact that Google Search is geared towards more complex queries, for example, is demonstrated by the expansion of the Knowledge Graph in the course of the Hummingbird update.
Search engines that do not store IP addresses or user data are DuckDuckGo and Ixquick.
How does it work
Google search is based on an independent index similar to that of other web search engines. A bot crawls the world wide web and collects content and URLs in its search, which are then stored on a server. Google uses various indexes to store the content of its vertical search functions. So, for example, there is a separate index for pictures, books, or mobile websites.
When you start a search query in Google, the algorithms compare it with the data stored in the search engine's index and return it as search results sorted by relevance.
Search results
At this time, the list of results or SERPs of a Google search is usually multi-layered. Individual search results, called snippets, consist of the following:
- Title in blue (if that page has already been clicked, it appears in purple) - Usually the meta title of the web page or a title stored in a directory such as DMOZ will be displayed here. Google can customize the display of the title, if necessary, to achieve greater relevance of the results.
- Link in green: Google directs to the destination link.
- Description in gray: the meta description stored by the webmaster or a compilation of the web content of the landing page is used.
- Links to other Google functions in blue
- Directly below the search bar, you have the option to use the special Google search functions.
- The total number of results and the time required for the search are displayed above the results.
Here we can see an example of a complex snippet for the search "Apple":
Sitelinks are mostly recognizable here. These are deep links that Google automatically integrates into the search results list so that you can directly enter the rest of the content.
Another example illustrates the expansion of the snippet with additional information in the form of "rich snippets".
The Google doodle
The Google Doodle is an adaptation of the Google logo on Google's main search page. The Google doodle is commonly used to honor celebrities or to represent parties such as Halloween. These moody doodles are mostly welcomed by the internet community. In many cases, these doodles are also interactive.
Vertical search on Google
Google search is more than just a web search. The user benefits from various vertical search tools that can be directly integrated into the SERPs for related queries.
- Google Shopping: is a price comparison portal, powered by the Merchant Center and reservations through Google AdWords.
- Google images: This is a separate index for images that can be searched based on your own uploaded images or using URLs.
- Blog search: This allows you to search for content that is posted on blogs. Regardless, the results are not always authentic blog posts.
- Location search: With Google Maps or directly from the search bar, Google search can also be used to search for locations or stores.
- Google books: So far, Google has scanned millions of books and made them "searchable" in the search engine. Many scientific books can be searched with the help of Google. The service, however, is quite controversial due to copyright issues.
- Google Scholar: This is a search function for the scientific field. The posts, theses or monographs can be consulted through this search function
- Google Videos: Google's own video search includes results from normal websites, as well as search results from YouTube or other video platforms.
- Google news: Using news search, users can search the web for current affairs.
- Google Patents: Google has indexed hundreds of patents and made them accessible to users around the world.
- Google Flights: Since its acquisition of the provider ITA, Google has had its own flight search since 2011.
- Google Discussion: With this standalone vertical search, you can specifically search forums like Google Groups and blog comments.
- Google play: central portal for apps that can be installed on android-based devices
Important updates from search engines
Since Google is the market leader in the field of web search in most countries in the world, search engine algorithm updates are closely watched by SEOs. Google changes its algorithms periodically. In general, these optimizations are aimed at fighting spam.
The following updates are among the most prominent in the history of Google search:
- Panda: This is a Google search filter that penalizes poor quality sites.
- Penguin: With the Penguin update, Google fights web spam more intensively.
- Hummingbird: With it, Google was able to answer more complex queries.
- Cassandra: This update mainly focused on hidden content.
- Fritz: This algorithm change was to end Google Dance by making multi-stage updates.
- Caffeine: This change to Google's search infrastructure was intended to ensure that more than half of search results were more up-to-date. The subsequent Freshness update provided even more current results on specific topics where relevant.
- Jagger: This update was primarily targeting link farms and sites that offer paid links.
- Florida: This update mainly fought against spam techniques such as keyword stuffing.
- Allegra: Penalizing sites with suspicious links.
Search options
Google search results can be filtered based on various criteria, such as:
- Results for a particular country.
- Results in a specific language.
- Release date.
- Literal search.
- Close results.
- Private search history results.
At the same time, Google search offers even more features that have become widespread for search services on the web:
- Google InstantGoogle suggests other applicable search terms as you type that you can click on. Ultimately, the hit lists are always updated based on the most relevant terms.
- Google Suggest: Search terms will be filled in automatically when entered in the search bar.
Search operators
Complex queries can be done with Google search. The search bar can be used, for example, as a calculator or currency converter. At the same time, the search results can be limited using operators. A popular operator for SEOs is a site: command, by means of which the indexed pages of a web portal can be consulted. Google Help has released a list usable search operators.
Google custom search
Google offers its search function to webmasters who want to make their website searchable through Google. The advantage of this method is that users are already familiar with the layout of Google search and give it great confidence. Google's personalized search service is a paid service and is enabled from $ 100 per year.
Voice activated search function
Since 2011, you can use the voice-activated search feature in the Chrome web browser. Previously, Google had already equipped its Android operating system with a voice control. Thus, the company responds to the voice control "Siri", which is used in Apple products. Voice activated search has the advantage that you can get the result without typing or touching. Google can take advantage of voice search to take full advantage of its general voice control and the Google Translate translation service. The company's goal is to extend voice accreditation to a point where telephone conversations can be automatically translated between people who do not speak a common language.
Modifying search results
In order to be indexed in Google search, before you had to register your website with Google. You still have a chance to do this, but bots usually discover new content on their own, by following existing links.
Despite everything, sometimes the opposite can happen and you want to remove your website from the index. You can do it using the Google Search Console. The following aspects can be managed through them:
- Request to remove web pages from the Google index.
- Situation link suppression.
- Cache removal.
SEOs and webmasters have the option of influencing the display of search results in the SERP by working with "markups" that are used as part of rich snippet optimization. You can find more information at www.schema.org.
Possible reasons why it is so successful
Google search has been praised since its inception for its speed and accuracy of search result listings. The simplicity of the search function, which needs no further explanation, is obviously also appreciated by users. At the same time, Google has managed to integrate its search function from the beginning into all types of devices and software, such as browsers, by default. Even in the competitor's browser "Internet Explorer", Google was used as the default search engine for a long time.
Right now, Google probably has the highest search engine index in the world and can therefore offer its users the best possible results. The constant adaptation to the needs of web users and the cross-platform experience that Google was able to obtain through the acquisition of Motorola in 2012, put competition in the search engine market under enormous pressure. Only Yandex in Russia and Baidu in China can currently challenge Google in terms of web search in a limited regional scope.
Criticism of Google search
One of the main criticisms is that Google has an excessive influence on the search results when examining the index and therefore no longer represents an objective search.
This criticism is reinforced by the fact that Google offers personalized search results and results based on the profile of connected users or through activated web history.
In particular, personalized search can prevent specific websites from appearing in the top positions of the SERP rankings, since the evaluation of the user's search history determines it through algorithms. Google does not usually see the need to act in this regard, because in the eyes of the search engine company, the greater relevance of the results is what matters and that the users get the results they need. Web history and search history are supposed to help with this.
At the same time as criticism of the lack of objectivity of the search function, Google's growing search functionality is being viewed critically in SEO circles. Because features like the Knowledge Graph or the incorporation of vertical search results and the expansion of ad space with product listing ads or other forms of business promotion are diminishing the space for organic search results. In extreme cases, there are only three places left for organic search results for certain search queries. And these results are barely visible just above the scroll line. This means that only the first 3 results will count for search engine optimization. Phenomena such as the attention to web visits in number 10 on the first page are no longer so relevant.
Look To The Future
The future of web search is discussed over and over again. Google search plays a central role. One of the crucial aspects of this search will be the semantic search, which will allow you to answer complex queries. The Hummingbird update provides preliminary evidence in this regard. Marcus Tandler explained what the future of web search will look like at the conference "The future of search" at the Tedex in Munich.
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