The Evolution of Search Engines

Search engines have fundamentally changed since the late 90s, with platforms like AskJeeves trying to humanize inquiries yet failing due to technological limitations. Google's PageRank became the backbone of online searching, ranking links based on relevance and quantity of referencing sites, ultimately outperforming competitors and reshaping how users find information. Google's ascent occurred alongside a minimalist user interface, skyrocketing daily searches from 10,000 in 1998 to 18 million in 2000. This evolution paved the way for a new era where Google not only dominated search but also created a business model around targeted advertising, further solidifying its position in the market.