by Dan Greenland

Created on: February 10, 2009   Last Updated: March 03, 2009

In 1996, Larry Page, a Ph.D. student from Stanford University, started a dissertation theme based on the mathematical properties of the World Wide Web. Later joined by Sergey Brin, a fellow Ph.D. student, the two created the search engine "google." The domain name www.google.com was registered, and the company "Google Inc." was incorporated in September of 1997. From there the company exploded. The term "google it" shows just how popular it became and in 2006 Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary both added the verb "google" to mean "to use the Google search engine to obtain information on the Internet."

But why is Google so popular? No other search engine has ever had a verb named after it. Google's stock is currently trading at around $370.00 per share. What is the secret to their success?

First, in the early days of Google no other search engine used the same technology that Google used. College students and business professionals alike began to realize that the search results they were getting from Google were much more helpful than the search results found on other search engines like Yahoo. But this in itself would never have been enough to catapult Google to their success of today.

Second, after they realized the amount of people who were visiting their site, they used it. Google is one of the most respected advertisers on the Internet, and they allow almost anyone to advertise for them and pay a small commission for each "click" that ad receives.

Third, Google has always been willing to join forces with other companies. If they see an opportunity to better their position, they take it. The alliance with Sun Microsystems allowed Google to bring more products to the market, and in an easier, more cost effective way.

Fourth, they offer a lot of free products, truly using their advertising and the power of sponsorship to pay for so many things.

But the biggest reason that Google has become so popular is because of the psychology behind it. Everyone likes the story; two guys with an idea and some drive to succeed create a multi-million dollar company. It is the modern day embodiment of the American Dream. But they took that psychology a step further. At first it was two guys against the world; as they grew and created more products (giving most of them away for free) it became Google and its clients against Microsoft. This is very appealing to many, especially the younger generation. Consumers need computer products and are very

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>