10 years of Google – a technology triumph
By Danny Sullivan
This weekend, everyone’s favourite search engine turns 10. And what a decade it has been for Google – a rise to end all rises, “meteoric” doesn’t even do it justice.
One of the things that strikes me about Google is that its success is one of those increasingly rare occasions where the technology itself was the key. Those of us in technology marketing circles are only too aware that having the best technology by no means guarantees pride of place at today’s marketshare table.
I recall when Google first started to appear in the workplace – a colleague recommended I “give it a shot”, and from that day forward I never looked back. Up till then I had been a user of the “others” (Lycos, Alta Vista etc.) and, as I recall, there was nothing much to choose between them. But on that day, I was immediately staggered by the relevance of Google’s results and the speed with which they were delivered.
This was not part of some slick marketing campaign, designed to seduce me into believing that Google was the best new thing around. No, it simply blew everything else out of the water. Of course, Google has gone on to capitalize on its initial success, and marketing has been a huge part of its continued rise, but without that initial triumph at the technology level, none of this would have happened.
But those companies looking to emulate Google’s route to success should beware. Tech startup founders will often rail against marketing and PR – “We know our market, our technology is the best and will sell itself” they cry. Invariably, this is not the case, so unless you are supremely confident that your product has Google-like appeal, don’t forget to market the hell out of it.
