A Short history
In the Beginning...
A long time ago, in the land of floppy disks and dial-up, early online search companies ruled the web. They had names like Netscape, Excite, and AOL. Eventually they became extinct. This time was known as the Pre-Google Period.
The Rise of an Empire
Google entered the search engine market in 1997. They understood something the early search pioneers didn't. Users, not advertisers, were the key to success. Make users happy, and advertising revenue will follow. Google developed a user-centric product that provided accurate search results without smoke and mirrors.
At the time, early search engine companies catered to pleasing advertisers since they paid the bills. The line between organic and paid search results became blurred with corporate bias. Google's search results were accurate and unbiased, exactly what internet searchers wanted. Google understood that more users meant more reach, and more reach meant more revenue.
A King is Born
Google owns 90% of the online search market. They are not just the champion, they are the only contender. The remaining 10% of internet search competition is divided between outmatched but persistent companies like Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, and DuckDuckGo. If a private market monopoly exists, Google is the closest thing to it.
Jon Mullett, Freelance Marketing
Fort Collins, Colorado