Reflecting on Pre-Google Search Engines
What search engine did you rely on prior to Google? Can you conjure memories of a time when alternatives existed? For those who traversed the early web, names like WebCrawler, Lycos, Yahoo!, InfoSeek, AltaVista, and Ask Jeeves may resonate.
The 1990s heralded the dawn of the Internet era, a formative decade in which Larry Page and Sergey Brin entered the narrative.
Circa 1995, at Stanford University, Page, freshly graduated with a computer engineering degree from the University of Michigan, sought a suitable graduate school. Stanford loomed large in his aspirations, prompting a visit to the esteemed institution.
At that juncture, Sergey Brin, born in Russia, was immersed in Stanford’s graduate program. Tasked with guiding Page on his tour, Brin unknowingly initiated a partnership that would redefine global search.
This Wasn’t the Backrub They Intended
Fast forward to 1996. Brin and Page were engrossed in coding what they envisioned as a groundbreaking methodology for navigating the ever-expanding World Wide Web.
Their approach departed from the norm, which primarily ranked sites based on search phrase frequency.
Rather, they devised an algorithm that analyzed a site’s backlinks—the network of websites linking back to it.
Consequently, a page boasting numerous backlinks would be deemed more “valuable” than a lesser-visited page with scant connectivity, thus achieving a superior ranking in search results.
Initially, they named their search engine “Backrub,” a nod to the backlink concept.
By 1997, “Backrub” was operating on Stanford’s servers. However, as its usage surged, the server strain became untenable.
Brin and Page recognized the need for relocation, signaling the onset of significant transformation, which included rebranding efforts alongside their change of venue.
From Googolplex to Google
Representation of number followed by zeros – Oleksandr Kostiuchenko/Shutterstock
David Koller, an associate within Stanford’s computer science and graphics department at that time, recounted that Page and colleagues were brainstorming names reflecting the immense volume of data the search engine aimed to index.
Among them, fellow student Sean Anderson proposed “googolplex,” a term denoting the numeral one followed by an unfathomable array of zeros.
In response, Larry introduced “googol,” another staggering number symbolizing one followed by one hundred zeros. Both concepts encapsulated the vastness they sought to express.
Koller recalled that when Anderson checked the domain availability for “googol,” he inadvertently misspelled it as “google.” On September 15, 1997, the Google.com domain was secured, paving the way for the iconic brand that followed.
Curious about the alternate naming? Imagine the landscape of technology had “Backrubbing” prevailed instead.
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