Google search has revolutionised how we access information across the internet, from a simple search engine to an advanced platform that is ingrained in our daily lives.
Launched in 1998, Google has continued to evolve through the years, introducing new features and technology to enhance user’s search experience. In this blog, we’ll look at some of the key milestones in the history of Google’s search features.
1. Web page results and paid adverts
Using the groundbreaking PageRank algorithm, Google was able to set itself apart from other search engines of the time. PageRank worked by ordering search results based on their relevance and the quality of links pointing to a page, which led to more accurate and useful results for users.
Google also started to introduce several improvements in the following years. By 2000, the company had launched Google AdWords, a tool that lets businesses display ads alongside organic search results. Although not directly a search feature, AdWords became crucial in funding further innovations in Google Search.
2. Universal search and personalisation
In 2007, Google launched Universal Search, representing a significant shift in the search engine’s traditional approach. Rather than only displaying web page results, Universal Search combined various types of content, including images, news, videos, and local business listings into their SERPs. This was the first step to giving users a more comprehensive search experience.
At a similar time, Google also began working with personalised search results by utilising user data such as the user’s search history and location. This would allow Google to offer more relevant results tailored to each searcher’s preferences, marking the start of a more user-centric search experience.
3. Semantic search and the Knowledge Graph
As searching becomes more commonplace and the internet grows, searchers started to use more complicated queries. To combat this, Google introduced semantic search in 2012 with the launch of the Knowledge Graph. Semantic search aimed to really understand the meaning behind queries rather than just matching keywords used to search.
The Knowledge Graph displayed quick facts and related information in a sidebar, providing users with direct answers. These techniques were continually refined using machine learning and other tools to gain a better understanding of search queries. For example, the ‘Hummingbird’ algorithm update of 2013 further improved Google’s ability to handle conversational queries.
4. Mobile friendliness and voice search
Jumping ahead a few years and smartphones are now everpresent. Searching via mobile had exploded, leading Google to shift its focus to mobile search. In 2015, its ‘Mobilegeddon’ update saw its SERPs prioritise websites that were optimised to be more mobile-friendly.
Around the same time, there were more moves made in the voice search arena, something that Google had been developing since 2011. Launching the Google Assistant, voice search became more intuitive, allowing users to perform searches and interact with their devices using natural language.
5. AI and the future of search
Over recent years, we know that Google has been working on how it can utilise artificial intelligence (AI) to power its search engine. Introductions of the BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) algorithm in 2019 and the Multitask Unified Model (MUM) introduced in 2021 have all helped move Google forward in understanding the context of words in a search query.
BERT enabled Google to deliver more accurate results, especially for longer, conversational queries. MUM can also analyse information across different formats such as text, images, and videos, making search results more comprehensive.
Google Search has certainly come a long way from its early days as a simple search engine and shows no sign of stopping. If you’re a business looking to understand how to optimise for search but don’t know where to start, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team of experts.
