Google Search
Logo since May 12, 2025 | |
Google Search on desktop as of August 27, 2025 | |
Type of site | Web search engine |
|---|---|
| Available in | 149 languages |
| Owner | |
| Revenue | Google Ads |
| URL | google.com |
| IPv6 support | Yes[1] |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched |
|
| Current status | Online |
| Written in | |
Google Search (also known simply as Google or google.com) is a search engine operated by Google. It allows users to search for information on the Web by entering keywords or phrases. Google Search uses algorithms to analyze and rank websites based on their relevance to the search query. Google Search is the most-visited website in the world. As of 2025, Google Search has a 90% share of the global search engine market.[3] Approximately 24.1% of Google's monthly global traffic comes from the United States, 5.6% from India, 5.5% from Japan, 4.8% from Brazil, and 3.7% from the United Kingdom according to data provided by Similarweb. The same source reports that 58% of users are male and 42% are female.[4]
The order of search results returned by Google is based, in part, on a priority rank system called "PageRank". Google Search also provides many different options for customized searches, using symbols to include, exclude, specify or require certain search behavior, and offers specialized interactive experiences, such as flight status and package tracking, weather forecasts, currency, unit, and time conversions, word definitions, and more.
The main purpose of Google Search is to search for text in publicly accessible documents offered by web servers, as opposed to other data, such as images or data contained in databases. It was originally developed in 1996 by Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Scott Hassan.[5][6][7] The search engine would also be set up in the garage of Susan Wojcicki's Menlo Park home.[8] In 2011, Google introduced "Google Voice Search" to search for spoken, rather than typed, words.[9] In 2012, Google introduced a semantic search feature named Knowledge Graph.
Analysis of the frequency of search terms may indicate economic, social and health trends.[10] Data about the frequency of use of search terms on Google can be openly inquired via Google Trends and have been shown to correlate with flu outbreaks and unemployment levels, and provide the information faster than traditional reporting methods and surveys. As of mid-2016, Google's search engine has begun to rely on deep neural networks.[11]
In August 2024, a US judge in Virginia ruled that Google held an illegal monopoly over Internet search and search advertising.[12][13] The court found that Google maintained its market dominance by paying large amounts to phone-makers and browser-developers to make Google its default search engine.[13] In April 2025, the trial to determine which remedies sought by the Department of Justice would be imposed to address Google’s illegal monopoly, which could include breaking up the company and preventing it from using its data to secure dominance in the AI sector.[14]
- ^ York, Dan (June 6, 2016). "Google's IPv6 Stats Hit 12% on Fourth Anniversary of World IPv6 Launch". CircleID. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
- ^ "The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine". Computer Science Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
- ^ "Search Engine Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter Global Stats. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
- ^ "google.com". similarweb.com.
- ^ Fisher, Adam (July 10, 2018). "Brin, Page, and Mayer on the Accidental Birth of the Company that Changed Everything". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ McHugh, Josh (January 1, 2003). "Google vs. Evil". Wired. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ D'Onfro, Jillian (February 13, 2016). "How a billionaire who wrote Google's original code created a robot revolution". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ Yoon, John; Isaac, Mike (August 10, 2024). "Susan Wojcicki, Former Chief of YouTube, Dies at 56". New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ^ Google (Tue June 14, 2011) Official announcement Archived July 31, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hubbard, Douglas (2011). Pulse: The New Science of Harnessing Internet Buzz to Track Threats and Opportunities. John Wiley & Sons.
- ^ "Soon We Won't Program Computers. We'll Train Them Like Dogs". Wired. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ Barakat, Matthew; Liedtke, Michale (August 5, 2024). "Google illegally maintains monopoly over internet search, judge rules". Associated Press. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ a b "A court says Google is a monopolist. Now what?". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
- ^ Montoya, Karina (March 13, 2025). "DOJ Sets Record Straight of What's Needed to Dismantle Google's Search Monopoly". Tech Policy Press. Retrieved April 24, 2025.