Google Search

Google Search, often just called Google, is a very popular search engine run by the company Google. It helps people find information by typing words or phrases on a website page or in an app on their computer or phone. Google uses special rules, called algorithms, to look through millions of websites and decide which ones are most helpful for what you are looking for. It even uses clever computer programs called generative artificial intelligence to give answers directly, without you needing to click on a website.

Google Search is the most visited website in the world, and almost 90% of all searches online are done using Google. Many people in places like the United States, India, Japan, Brazil, and the United Kingdom use it every day. At the top of many search results, you might see a section called "Sponsored result" which shows ads that companies pay for. There is also often a part called "AI Overviews" that gives a quick answer to your question.

Google Search was first created in 1996 by three people: Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Scott Hassan. It started in the garage of a house in Menlo Park. Over the years, Google added new features, like being able to search by speaking into a device in 2011 and understanding the meaning behind words in 2012 with something called the Knowledge Graph. Today, Google Search helps us learn about many things quickly and easily.

Search indexing

See also: Googlebot

Google indexes huge amounts of information from web pages. Before 2024, it also gave desktop users links to older versions of search results, called cached copies. Google can also show users PDFs, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, some Flash multimedia content, and plain text files. There is also a setting called "SafeSearch" that helps keep certain types of content out of search results.

Even though Google has a very large index, it is thought to cover less than 5% of all the Internet. The rest is called the deep web and cannot be found using regular search tools.

In 2012, Google changed how it works to lower the ranking of sites linked to piracy. In 2016, Google announced it would create a special index just for mobile devices, with a less updated one for desktop computers. This change happened because more people were using mobile devices, and it encouraged website makers to make mobile-friendly versions of their sites. The change started rolling out in December 2017.

"Caffeine" search architecture upgrade

In August 2009, Google asked web developers to test a new way of searching called "Caffeine". This new system worked faster and updated its index more often, but it looked the same to users. Google finished this update on June 8, 2010, saying it could give results that were 50% more up-to-date.

"Medic" search algorithm update

In August 2018, Google made a big change to its search system. This change aimed to lower websites that gave confusing or misleading health information. Google has very high standards for pages about health or money because mistakes can affect people. This update affected many health-related websites, but it also impacted websites in other areas.

Search results

Google Search helps people find information by looking at websites and deciding which ones are most relevant. It uses special rules, called algorithms, to decide which results to show.

Google created an algorithm called PageRank to help decide which web pages are important. This algorithm looks at links from other pages to decide which pages might be more helpful or important to people searching. Over time, Google has added many more rules to help decide which search results to show.

In 2013, Google updated its search algorithm with something called "Hummingbird." This change helped Google understand the meaning behind people's questions, not just the exact words they used. This made search results more helpful and natural.

Google also tries to keep search results useful and free from unwanted or misleading content. In 2024, Google made updates to reduce unhelpful or misleading results.

AI responses

AI Overviews

Main article: AI Overviews

In May 2023, Google introduced a new way to answer questions called Search Generative Experience (SGE). This feature gives short, helpful answers to questions people ask. It was part of Google’s effort to use new technology that can create text and images. In May 2024, this feature was improved and named AI Overviews.

AI Overviews started in the United States in May 2024. At first, some answers were not correct, like saying to put glue on pizza or eat rocks. Google said these were rare mistakes and that most answers were helpful. They also made some changes to avoid giving wrong health advice and stopped using some social media posts. Some people worried that this feature uses more energy and makes it harder to read full articles.

By August 2024, AI Overviews were available in several countries, including the UK, India, Japan, and Brazil. In October 2024, it came to 100 more countries, such as Australia and New Zealand.

AI Mode

Main article: AI Mode

In March 2025, Google added an experimental “AI Mode” to its Search. This lets users ask more detailed questions and get full answers. It uses Google’s advanced Gemini 2.0 model and can understand text, images, and voice.

At first, only people who paid for Google One AI Premium in the United States could try AI Mode. Google used this time to learn from users and make improvements before sharing it more widely.

Interface

At the top of the Google search page, you can see how many results there are and how quickly the search was done. You’ll see titles of web pages, their addresses, dates, and a short piece of text that gives a preview of what’s on the page. Sometimes you’ll also see pictures, news, and videos along with the usual website results.

Google changed its search in 2007 to include many types of information together, like pictures, news, and videos, all on one page. In 2017, Google also started showing job listings based on information from job boards and company websites. In 2009, Google began adding extra details to search results, such as reviews for restaurants. In 2016, this idea was expanded to show more information in a special format at the top of mobile search results.

Google also has a Knowledge Graph, a special database that gives extra information about search topics in a box next to the results. This started in the United States in 2012 and later expanded worldwide. There is also a feature called Google Knowledge Panel that gives quick facts about people, places, or things you search for.

In 2017, Google added a “Personal” tab that lets you search through your own Google accounts, like your emails and photos. There is also Google Discover, a personalized feed of articles and videos that shows you things Google thinks you’ll be interested in, based on what you’ve done with Google before.

Google has updated its design several times, including changes to the homepage and new ways to show ads. Google also has mobile apps for Android and iOS devices that include special features like saving search results and showing popular search trends.

Performing a search

Google Search has many websites around the world, with google.com being the biggest and most visited one. It helps you find information by letting you type words or phrases. Google looks through many websites to give you the best matches for what you're searching for.

You can make your search better by using special words and symbols. For example, you can search for pages that have either one word or another, find pages without a certain word, or look inside a specific website. Google also can correct misspellings and suggest related things you might be looking for, like giving the full name when you search for an abbreviation. It even tries to understand what you mean, even if you use the wrong word or leave out some words.

Operations

Search products

Main article: List of Google products

Google helps people find many types of information. Besides searching for words on web pages, you can also search for pictures with Google Images, old messages in Usenet newsgroups, news stories, videos, maps, and things you can buy online. Google even has a special tool called Google Videos to find video clips on the World Wide Web.

Google offers many other tools too, like Google News, Google Shopping, Google Maps, Google Earth, YouTube, and Google Translate. Some of these, like Gmail, also let you search through your messages.

Energy consumption

In 2009, Google said that one search uses about as much energy as raising the temperature of a liter of water by a tiny bit. This means each search creates a small amount of CO₂, which is a gas that can affect the environment.

Google Doodles

Main article: Google Doodle

Sometimes, the Google logo changes to a special picture, drawing, or game called a "Google Doodle." These Doodles celebrate special days, events, or important people. For example, there have been Doodles for holidays like Valentine's Day and for big anniversaries like the 50th anniversary of the interlocking Lego block. Some Doodles even let you play games, like a version of Pac-Man that appeared on May 21, 2010. Clicking on a Doodle shows search results about that special topic.

Criticism

Privacy

Main article: Privacy concerns regarding Google

In 2012, the US Federal Trade Commission found that Google did not keep promises about protecting users' privacy on Apple's Safari web browser. Because of this, Google was fined US$22.5 million.

Google has also been criticized for saving information about what people search for, which can sometimes be shared with law enforcement. This has led to some concerns about how private people's information is.

Complaints about indexing

In 2003, The New York Times said that Google was taking content from websites without permission. Courts later said Google could continue doing this.

Possible misuse of search results

In 2007, some researchers worried that people only used Google to find information, missing out on other sources.

In 2011, it was noted that Google’s search results can sometimes only show what a person usually sees, called a “filter bubble”. This can limit new ideas and perspectives.

In 2023, some believed that the quality of Google’s search results had gotten worse, which might help companies that pay for ads on Google.

Payments to Apple

In 2023, it was revealed that Google pays Apple a large amount of money — about 36% of all money made from ads when people use Google through the Safari browser. This has raised questions about Google’s control over search engines.

Big data and human bias

Google’s search tools use special rules to guess what people might search for. Sometimes, these tools show biased results. For example, searching for “three Black teenagers” once showed pictures that reflected unfair views, while searching for “three White teenagers” showed happy photos. Experts say this happens because the tools learn from data that includes human biases.

Monopoly ruling

In 2024, a court decided that Google has too much control over Internet search, breaking fair competition rules. Google plans to appeal this decision but has suggested changing some deals to address the concerns.

Trademark

Main article: Google (verb)

Because many people say "googling" instead of just searching, the company has worked hard to protect its name. They have done this to make sure their name doesn't become a common word that everyone uses for any search. This has sometimes led to legal actions and people using other phrases to talk about Google Search, like calling it a famous web search engine.

Discontinued features

Translate foreign pages

Until May 2013, Google Search offered a way to translate search queries into other languages. A Google spokesperson told Search Engine Land that removing this feature was difficult but necessary, as it wasn’t used much by people.

Instant search

Instant search was introduced in September 2010. It showed suggested results as people typed their search queries, saving time by showing results quickly. Marissa Mayer, a leader at Google, said this could save users seconds per search, adding up to a lot of time saved. Some people liked this feature, and Google worked hard to share news about it. Users could turn off Instant search in their settings if they preferred.

In July 2017, Google stopped using Instant search because more people were searching on mobile devices, where screens are smaller and how people interact with search is different.

Instant previews

"Instant previews" let users see pictures of web pages from search results without opening them. By clicking on a magnifying glass next to a search result, users could see a snapshot of the page and highlighted text. Google said this helped people find information faster. This feature started in November 2010 for desktop users but was removed in April 2013 because not many people used it.

Dedicated encrypted search page

In May 2010, Google introduced an encrypted search page at encrypted.google.com. This used a special kind of security called Transport Layer Security (TLS) to keep searches private. However, because most browsers and Google products already use HTTPS (a secure connection) by default, Google decided to stop using the special address encrypted.google.com after April 30, 2018.

Real-Time Search

Google Real-Time Search was a feature that showed recent updates from places like Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and news sites. It started on December 7, 2009, and showed a flow of posts, like a river, with popular posts on the side. Users could also search for hashtags. In July 2011, this feature stopped working because Google could no longer get tweets from Twitter. Google had hoped to bring it back but decided it wouldn’t continue.