How Old is Google? A Look Back at the Origin and Growth of the Search Engine Giant

For years, we’ve been relying on Google for everything—a query, question, or concern. But have you ever wondered when was Google made or how old is Google?

Well, the establishment of this search engine and its name have interesting narratives behind them. Even though you’ll be surprised to know that it was not even supposed to be named Google.

Till now, you might be intrigued to know the fascinating story behind the actual existence of the world’s biggest search engine. For you to clear your instincts and anonymous doubts, scroll down till the end to discover how a small mistake by the owners has made it the tech giant it is today.

When was Google Made? 

From complex mathematical calculations to pizza recipes, Google has made surfing the web very easy. No matter how rare or weird your query is, you can literally find answers to all your quests. 

Today, people use Google as a primary tool to search on any topic, but honestly, they know very little about it. Like, do you even know how old is Google or have you ever searched Google how old are you?   

This tech beast, which dominates the world of internet search, was founded on September 4, 1998. It means that as of 2024, Google is officially 26 years old. 

The release date of the tech giant was August 1996; however, it was just started as a research project in 1995 by two college students of Stanford University, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They started working on a search engine called “Backrub.” Both Larry and Sergey aimed to improve web searches by analyzing the relationships between websites and using backlinks as a ranking mechanism.

Now you know the age and establishment year of Google. Moving on, let’s unveil some interesting incidents about this tech beast to help you understand the story behind its origin. 

The Story Behind the Name ‘Google’

Google was a spelling error!!!

By 1998, the duo renamed their project, derived from the mathematical term “googol,” which refers to the number 1 followed by 100 zeros. However, they misspelled “Google” when registering the domain name and decided to keep it. Well, it looks like an unexpected or accidental decision resulted in remarkable success. 

The name and idea were both revolutionary, and later they were successful in securing funding from prominent investors, including Andy Bechtolsheim, co-founder of Sun Microsystems. And eventually goes on to secure investments from venture capitalists like Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins.

Google’s First Office

Google’s first office was a garage in Menlo Park, California, where the duo worked on perfecting their search algorithm. By the end of 1998, they were successful in indexing around 26 million pages. On September 4, 1998, Page and Brin officially founded Google Inc. This date marks the founding of the company that would go on to transform the way we access information on the Internet.

The Beginning Years of Google

If you are talking about the beginning years, the above picture will give you a rough idea of how old is Google.

Google quickly gained popularity due to its superior accuracy and minimalist design, which stood in sharp contrast to the cluttered interfaces of other search engines like Yahoo! and AltaVista. The company at that time also introduced several innovative features:

• Google Launched with their PageRank algorithm (1998)
• AdWords advertising platform (2000)
• Google Toolbar browser extension (2000)
• Google Images search (2001)
• Google News (2002)

This laid a strong foundation for the company in the coming years and ultimately played a significant role in marking the tech giant as a leader in the industry.

Now that we have learned how old is Google, let’s move on to its rapid expansion and innovation.

Rapid Expansion and Innovation of Google

Google did not achieve success with its interface alone but was fueled by constant innovation. In this rapidly changing digital world, this tech beast remains on the top. It keeps on expanding its roots from entertainment to mobile operating systems and is not going to back out. 

AdWords (2000)

In 2000, it introduced AdWords, a service that allowed advertisers to display text-based ads alongside search results. This marked the beginning of the company’s revenue model, which later became the backbone of the company’s financial success. In 2018, Google renamed its advertising platform to “Google Ads.”

Going Public (2004)

Google went public in 2004 with an initial public offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ stock exchange. Raising $1.67 billion and reaching a market valuation of $23 billion, the IPO gave the company resources to continue expanding its range of services like Gmail, Google Maps, Google Chrome, and many more. This event represented a key turning point in the history of Google.

Gmail (2004)

Launched in 2004, Gmail revolutionized the entire world of email. Gmail offered a much larger capacity than any competitors, starting with 1 GB; meanwhile, other services like Yahoo and Hotmail offered only the standard 20 MB. It also introduced the search bar feature that lets users find any particular email within the inbox. 

Later on, many other features supported by ads kept the service free, which ultimately helped Gmail become the most popular service globally. 

Google Maps (2005)

When Google released Google Maps in 2005, it redefined digital mapping and navigation. The company first offered a zooming option on basic street maps but quickly added more advanced features such as driving directions, satellite imagery, and real-time traffic updates. Slowly, this platform became even more essential with the addition of Google Street View in 2007.

Google Earth (2005)

The tech giant introduced Google Earth shortly after Google Maps in the same year. It provided users with a 3D representation of the earth’s surface. Google Earth allows users to zoom in on specific locations, view geographic features, and even explore locations in space. It quickly became popular for education, tourism, and geographic exploration.

YouTube Acquisition (2006)

When the tech giant acquired YouTube in 2006, nobody knew at that time YouTube would be the company’s most successful investment of all time. Google purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock and later enhanced its infrastructure and integrated it with its advertising platforms.

Google Chrome Browser (2008)

When the Google Chrome browser was released, it quickly grabbed attention because of its speed and minimalist design. Known for its security and ease of use, it gained more market share than the other two browsers: Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox. Chrome eventually became the dominant browser worldwide. 

Android Phone Mobile Operating System (2008)

The Android mobile operating system is the most widely used mobile OS in the world. This was introduced by the company in 2008, in collaboration with hardware manufacturers like Samsung, HTC, and Motorola. Android’s integration with Google’s other services, such as Gmail, Google Maps, and YouTube, helped it attract millions of users and developers.

Use of Cookies for Better Searches (2007)

The introduction of cookies in Google can’t be ignored. Mainly because it has played a critical role in enhancing the search experience for users by enabling search engines to remember user preferences and past interactions.  Whether you search on Google directly or type a URL, this enables search results to be more personalized and relevant, taking into account users’ past searches and interests.

Furthermore, this is one of the key reasons many SEO service providers prioritize creating customized content that effectively reaches their intended audience, all made possible by search engine cookies.

Important Milestones in Google’s Journey

Here is a proper listing of the company’s humble beginnings to its ongoing status as a global technology leader:

1995	Larry Page and Sergey Brin started developing “BackRub” while at Stanford University.
1997	“BackRub” is changed to “Google.”
1998	Google Inc. is officially founded
2000	AdWords advertising platform and Google Toolbar are launched
2004	Google went first-time public on the NASDAQ stock exchange
2005	Launch of Google Maps and Google Earth
2006	The company makes its best investment (acquired YouTube)
2008	Google Chrome browser and Android mobile operating system are introduced
2015	Alphabet Inc. acquired the controlling interest of Google
2023	Tech giant honors its 25th anniversary

Google Advertising Products

Google has a long history of success. From just being a popular search engine to becoming the dominant leader in online advertising, it has evolved a lot. Here is an outline of Google’s key advertising products that have helped him rule the tech and browsing industries!

Google Ads (Formerly AdWords)

Launch year: 2000

Overview: Started as search ads, where it provided ad recommendations based on search results and user queries. This ultimately helped businesses focus directly on their target audience. It has now gained momentum with features like Ad Extensions, Enhanced Campaigns, and Smart Bidding.

Google AdSense

Launch year: 2003

Overview: AdSense allows website owners to monetize their content by displaying ads that are targeted directly to the site’s content and audience. It utilizes a pay-per-click model and has undergone significant advancements to accommodate ad formats and enhance content matching.

Google Display Network (GDN)

Launch year: 2005

Overview: The Google display network allows enterprises to broadcast their ads to a vast number of websites across various Google platforms. GDN shows ads to potential customers at the right time and place. It is designed to function on user behavior, interests, and demographics.

Google Analytics and Google Ads Integration

Launch year: 2005

Overview: This web analytic service was introduced by the company to track and report website performance and traffic. It is even designed to detect engagement across various platforms, like websites and apps. Google Analytics has evolved to create reports that provide insights into businesses.

Also, if you want to boost the performance of your website, check out Apex Traffic and ClickSEO, both these tools work in distinctive ways to enhance the efficiency of your website. Apex Traffic focuses on driving organic traffic and improving SERP rankings, while ClickSEO uses advanced practices like CTR manipulation to drive fast traffic.

Google Business Profile (Formerly Google My Business)

Launch year: 2014

Overview: Google Business Profile is an easy-to-use tool for businesses to manage their online presence across Google. This helped organizations and customers to easily verify and find business information. With Google Ads and Google Business Profile, the company focuses on the people who are searching for what businesses offer. 

Also, Google Business Profile is a top domain authority and there are various strategies to generate organic GBP visits. You can implement them for your business to increase your visibility online.

YouTube Advertising

Launch year: Mid-2000s

Overview: YouTube was acquired by the tech giant in 2006, which is now known as it’s best investment to date. It quickly became a dominant platform for video advertisements. This helped advertisers target audiences based on demographics, interests, and viewing behaviors. It offers various ad formats, including skippable and non-skippable video ads.

Google’s Programmatic Advertising (DV360)

Launch year: 2013

Overview: Google Display & Video 360 was introduced to help marketers manage their reservation, programmatic, and guaranteed campaigns across display, video, TV, audio, and other channels, all in one place.

Gmail Ads

Launch year: 2013

Overview:  The company provided personalized ads that appear at the top of the user’s Gmail inbox. Over time, it evolved completely as a standalone platform for sending emails and ads and was finally integrated into the Google Ads platform in 2015.

The Google of Today

As of 2024, the tech giant is 26 years old. It has evolved a lot from being just a search engine into a big multinational company, especially after the major restructuring in 2015. It became a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., a holding company that encompasses various other projects and initiatives, such as Waymo (self-driving cars), Google X (research and development), and Verily (life sciences). 

This restructuring allowed the firm to primarily focus on its core business—search, advertising, cloud computing, and hardware—while other Alphabet subsidiaries could operate more independently.

Today, Google stands to be one of the most valuable companies in the world, with a market capitalization exceeding $2.08 trillion. The web-based search engine continues to lead in internet search, online advertising, and artificial intelligence. Services like Google Search, Google Drive, Google Docs, and Google Photos are vital components in millions of people’s daily lives.

Final Thoughts

So now you know how old is Google, and the story behind its amazing transformation from a Stanford project to a global leading firm that reflects its founder’s vision and commitment to innovation. At 26, it continues to evolve, expanding its impact on the digital world and beyond. 

Google, in this highly evolving digital era, remains at the forefront of innovation in AI, quantum computing, and automation. With projects like Google Brain, Google Duplex, and self-driving car technology, the firm is all set to shape the future of various industries.