Happy Birthday, Google! 20 Years of Bringing the World Together

Google is so much more than a search engine. In many ways, it’s more than the sum total of all its parts. It’s more than an algorithm. More than the 60,000 employees working in 50 different countries around the globe.

Google is a unifier. Dare we say, the unifier.

Google has brought together billions of people. It’s brought together the cumulative knowledge of the entire world. It’s brought the world closer together. Allowing us to share our wisdom, our experiences, our expertise - our lives.

For all the search engine giant has done, and is yet to do, the team at Cobalt Digital Marketing would like to wish Google, Happy 20th Birthday! (Maybe next year we can take Google out for some drinks when it turns 21.)

It all started just 20 short years ago at Stanford University…

The story of Google’s founding reads like a tale of fate. Co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, met at Stanford University in 1995 under the most fortunate of circumstances. Larry was considering attending grad school at the prestigious university and Sergey, a student at the time, was his tour guide on the campus.

The two would eventually partner and go on to build the foundation of Google in their dorm rooms. After a few years of organizing “the world’s information and mak[ing] it universally accessible and useful,” the two caught their first break and received a $100,000 investment from Sun co-founder, Andy Bechtolsheim, in 1998.

Google Inc. was officially born that year and the company moved to a garage in suburban Menlo Park, California.

20 years later and Google is now the biggest search engine in the world, accounting for 83% of global searches, taking in 2.3 million searches every minute, and over 3.5 billion searches a day.

And we really do believe the best is yet to come.

The Next Chapter

Google’s VP of Search, Ben Gomes, recently wrote a blog highlighting the future of Google Search, and it looks like some major shifts are bound to change the Internet once again.

Gomes noted three fundamental changes that are going to occur in the next chapter of Search, including:

• The shift from answers to journeys: To help users resume tasks where they left off and learn new interests and hobbies, Google is bringing new features to Search that helps users with ongoing information needs.
• The shift from queries to providing a queryless way to get to information: Google can surface relevant information related to users interests, even when the user does not have a specific query in mind.

It appears that Google feed, now rebranded as Discover, will tailor content based on a user’s interests.

• The shift from text to a more visual way of finding information: Google is bringing more visual content to Search and completely redesigning Google Images to help users find information more easily.

Mobile users will also have more access to visual stories.

Google is also developing initiatives that better serve communities including helping users in crisis find the resources they need to find safety, as well as enhancing their job-search tools and training for underserved populations.

As Platforms Shift, Cobalt Digital Evolves

As digital marketers, we completely understand the pivotal role Google plays in our industry and in the world of business. Suffice to say, digital marketing wouldn’t be the same without Google, and we here at Cobalt Digital have made it our responsibility to stay on top of all algorithmic changes and all things Google.

In fact, as Google Partners, we know firsthand the importance of effectively evolving with Google for:

• Building your brand and visibility: Google generates 63.5% of all core search queries in the United States and 93% market share for mobile searches. That’s millions of people that Google can help to put you in front of.
• Improving your SEO efforts: SEO affects your indexing, which is when search engines collect, analyze, and store your data so that it can pull up accurate information at a rapid pace. Your SEO strategy plays directly into Google’s ability to rank you properly amongst competitors, and as on the number one search engine in the world, you want Google to rank you high.
• Enhancing your website’s (and business’s) authority and credibility: Google loves trusted sources and quality content. When your content strategy is on par, your authority with Google improves, and so do your rankings.
• Reaching your target audience: Google Analytics provides meaningful data points about your website, PPC ads, site visitors, and so much more. With this information, you can develop a better digital marketing strategy to turn visitors into conversions - and it all starts with Google Analytics.

Over the last 20 years, we have witnessed Google shift and grow from a simple startup into the search engine juggernaut that it is today. In many ways, the company has mimicked the unprecedented growth and expansion of the Internet itself.

At Cobalt Digital Marketing, we understand that these constant changes are essential to growth and success. That’s why our catalysts are dedicated to adapting to the ever-evolving world of search and digital marketing.

We know that keeping up with the times actually means planning ahead and strategizing as best possible for the unknown. We are a team of pioneers willing to charge into the uncharted depths of digital marketing and bring back valuable lessons to help you grow your business.

Here’s to another successful 20 years, Google! Cobalt Digital Marketing is ready to take the long journey with you.