Isn't it amazing what a company can accomplish in just five years? Google, the search engine that has evolved into so much more may be the most anticipated initial public offering (IPO) in ages, and it's done quite a bit of debunking on the side.
For starters, the Web mantra that being the first mover is critical has a notable exception in Google. By the time founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page launched their modest search engine in September of 1998, search portals Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) and Terra's (NASDAQ:TRLY) Lycos were closing in on their third years of publicly traded life.
Quietly and privately Google has arguably become the most important online entity. While it's superior search engine found it crafting relationships with heavies like Yahoo! and AOL Time Warner (NYSE:AOL), upstart Google used that foot in the door to kick the whole house in.
When Overture (NASDAQ:OVER) was carving a cozy living serving up cost-per-click advertising, Google rolled out AdWords Select. With lower minimum bids and more flexible listing options it soon became an affiliate marketer's dream. Content publishers got their nod when Google launched AdSense to serve up those AdWords on targeted pages.
Moreover, while other portals sought to make their sites sticky through community apps, Google broke the mold by simply ramping up its search technology to deliver more practical solutions like its amazing Google News hub and its promising yet still awkwardly nascent Froogle product search engine. The company also scooped up Blogger.com when blogging was little more than a buzzword.
If there's an online niche, no matter how aptly served by existing companies, Google finds a way to make its presence known while making it better. "I'm convinced that Google's ultimate plan is to drive every other company out of business and take over the world," our own Rex Moore noted last month. Rex is right. That is, of course, until Google gives us a better version of Rex to beta test.
So happy birthday, Google! As excited as we Fools may have been to be celebrating our first 10 years last month, what Google has accomplished in half that time is mind-blogging. Let's see what the next five years bring.
