|
Search Engine Evolution: From Archie to Bing |
|
|
|
Saturday, 13 June 2009 |
|
Page 10 of 11
Google
It's hard to believe people haven't always used "Google" as a verb, but we should all be grateful that Stanford students Larry Page and Sergey Brin dropped the engine's original name: BackRub. Created in 1996, though its eventual name didn't appear until the following year, Google uses an algorithm called PageRank to assign a Web site an "importance" ranking based on how many sites link to it, as well as the ranks of those sites.
While Google was lauded for the relevance of its search results, its playful attitude--not many companies mess with their logos as often as Google--and simple interface were probably just as important in elevating the engine to its leadership position. Though Google has recently received its share of criticism for not improving its search technology more quickly, it scores well in customer satisfaction surveys and has a chokehold on search ads. Last month it announced Search Options, a feature that will allow users to narrow their search to specific categories.
|
