A Brief History of Search Engine

Shashank-Mujumale

By Shashank Mujumale

June 19, 2022

Though it was only two short decades ago, it is difficult to envision a life before search engines.

Search engines have given us superpowers and we tend to forget how truly incredible that is. With endless knowledge at our fingertips, we can achieve almost anything.

Since its inception, the concept of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has changed the way brands and businesses inspire, connect, and advertise to their audiences.
But how did it all begin? Follow along for a brief history of Search Engines and how they helped create the world we live in today.
Story begins in 1991…
1991
World's First Website
The world’s first website was pioneered by Tim Berners-Lee. Berners-Lee’s website was dedicated to information on the World Wide Web project.
1994
Yahoo

Yahoo was created in a campus trailer by Stanford University students Jerry Wand and David Filo.

Originally, Yahoo began as an Internet bookmark list and directory of interesting websites. This meant that webmasters had to manually submit their pages to Yahoo for indexing before they appeared in search. 

1996
The Era of Search Engines
This was the era of search engines! Now we see the landscape becoming competitive…
  • Backrub, which would later become Google, was created by Page and Brin.
  • HotBot search engine was launched by Inktomi.
  • AltaVista and Yahoo began gaining traction.
1998
Google

The start of Google’s empire! Google was launched in September of this year, changing the face of the internet forever.

2000
Yahoo Partnering with Google

This year, Yahoo pulled off the worst strategic move in the history of search by partnering with Google. This gained Google power over Yahoo’s organic results instead of Inktomi.

Before this, Google was a blip on the search radar, meaning Yahoo was affectively responsible for introducing their largest competitor to the world.

2006
Google Made Moves This Year
  • Google acquired YouTube.
  • Launched both Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools that websites today still heavily rely on for analytics and crucial data.
2009
Bing was Launched

Microsoft joined the race launching Bing this year.

2010
The Era of Social Media Began

Along with the introduction of user-focused content, mobile-first searches, and Google core updates.

Social media dominated the internet and though it doesn’t directly impact SEO, it does validate content through signaling.

2015
Year of the Mobile

This was the first time ever mobile Google searches recorded higher than desktop searches.

2016
Google Introduced RankBrain

In order to provide even better, more personalised search results, Google created the first advanced machine learning system called RankBrain.

Machine learning technology means it can learn like a human does!

2017
First Machine Learning Company

Google was declared the first machine learning company in 2017 by Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google.

2022
Present Day

You are currently reading this article. So, consider this... What did you look up today, and how was your search engine experience?

To Sum Up…

The major takeaway from this history lesson is that SEO is always developing. SEO has progressed from simple information retrieval to sophisticated searches and machine learning approaches.

Over time SEO’s priorities have changed, relying less on keywords and more on authenticity, content quality, and the actual context of searches.

To get your website where it needs to be – on the first page of Google – takes a mix of time, expertise, strategy, and a little bit of LOVE.

To get your brand on the first page of Google you know who to call… Shashank! Our Rapid Media SEO savant.

Sources

1. https://www.vox.com/2017/5/17/15654076/google-io-biggest-announcements-keynote-highlights-2017

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