Can you recall the year 1998? I can still picture using my bulky desktop PC to connect to the internet and browsing sites like Yahoo and Excite to find information.
Google was just getting started back then as a Stanford research project turned start-up. As you’ll see in this nostalgic tour of Google‘s early days, it retained a simple identity from school days even while growth took off.
The Backdrop to Early Google
To start, let me set the stage so you understand the state of search around the time Sergey Brin and Larry Page debuted their technology…
In 1998, finding your way around the wild west early internet could be daunting. Yahoo, founded in 1994, was the most popular way to both search and portal to top sites. Others like Excite, Lycos and AltaVista also competed based on keyword indexes and human curated directories.
What ultimately set Google apart? Its PageRank approach tapped into link analysis algorithms to surface more relevant results mathematically. This formed the roots of search we now take for granted.
Okay, with that brief recap of the landscape in 1998, let‘s transport back to explore specifically how our Google friend looked over 20 years ago!
That Familiar (Yet Slightly Different) Homepage
While today Google‘s homepage feels slick yet sparse, their earliest design drawn up by founders Brin and Page back at Stanford was even more bare bones:
As you see, we‘re talking blank page beyond the logo, search bar and buttons!
Let‘s compare the late 1990s version to today‘s homepage side-by-side:
By 1999, the logo gained its signature multi-color lettering. One outlier was the exclamation point which extended the brand name to “Google!” This quirky touch got eventually got dropped over subsequent years.
Under the hood, the site utilized less sophisticated visual design and layout tools than now. But focus centered squarely on load speed and simplicity for users.
Birth of the Google Doodle
Today Google Doodles surprise and delight frequent visitors to the site. These artistic takes on the logo commemorate events, achievements or holidays, often with interactive elements.
The very first Google Doodle kicked off this beloved tradition back in 1998. The concept started from Brin and Page asking current digital artist-in-resident Dennis Hwang to add a stick figure icon inspired by the Burning Man festival to the homepage. This crude character became known as "Stan" the Google Man.
The positive response led Brin and Page to ask that Google’s part-time webmaster make other artistic iterations on the logo for fun. What began as informal experimentation eventually evolved into the formal Doodle team we know today.
Comparing Early Search Results
Let‘s analyze how Google‘s search product worked back then, and contrast what we see visiting today.
Here is an example query searching for "NASA budget history" on Google in 1999:
And today:
What stands out to you looking between the two?
A few differences I notice:
- Less detailed snippet text describing sites in 1999 results
- PageRank score percentages listed next to some results
- Lower number of overall results returned in 1999
Let‘s break down why…
In the early days, metadata was not in wide use on most webpages optimizing description text. So Google relied more exclusively on matching page content to the search keywords without additional markup indicators available.
Additionally, Google‘s co-founders also wanted to improve relevancy in results. So the PageRank percentage score gave users more transparency into how highly Google ranked the page based on link analysis algorithms under the hood.
As for fewer total matches with only thousands returned rather than millions? That comes down to the relatively smaller size of the web overall (fewer sites indexed) combined with less search engine optimization done specifically to target popular keywords.
Interestingly, while the aesthetic presentation changed, we still benefit from PageRank foundations in place by 1998 originating from Brin and Page‘s university digital library research.
Pre-Ad Era for Revenue
Another distinction between past and current state lies in how Google generates income. In 1998-1999 timeframe, Brin and Page‘s model focused entirely on delivering the best organic search results through a simple interface.
Being at university not long before, the concept of loading pages with ads took a backseat. Instead their funding came from friends-and-family investors getting behind the technology based on its merit alone.
Let‘s look at some key financial statistics then versus now:
| Year | Revenue | Funding | Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | $0 | $100,000 | $1 million |
| 1999 | $220,000 | $25 million | $100+ million |
| 2021 | $257 billion | n/a | $1.6 trillion |
Of course later on when Google perfected highly contextual text ads tied to search queries, they opened up advertising opportunities without compromising integrity around organic rankings. But the priorities stayed firmly on relevance before monetization in the early survival days.
Key Events That Shaped 1999
Beyond day-to-day building out search features, indexing more of the web and welcoming surging visitors, a few pivotal moments and decisions occurred in 1999 that changed Google‘s course:
Rebuffed Early Acquisition Attempt
Just imagine if Google never reached the search titan status we know today. Early in 1999, Google co-founders tried selling their technology for a modest $1 million to industry leading Excite portal.
CEO George Bell controversially dismissed the offer against the guidance of his board and VC advisors urging them to scoop it up.
Excite shutdown completely by 2001. Oops! With the power of hindsight, most now view this as one of the biggest missed opportunities in tech market history.
While slightly offended by the lack of vision from Excite, Brin and Page continued executing what users wanted.
First VC Funding Secured
Licking their wounds from the acquisition that wasn‘t meant to be, Google aimed to show naysayers like Excite the upside others spotted in them. This drove Larry Page and Sergey Brin to land first formal VC financing in June 1999 from Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins.
Their $25 million vote of confidence allowed growing the staff beyond Stanford alumni friends to continue enhancing the technology. It signaled the startups transition into a scalable company.
Rising From Beta
Just two months after securing VC funding, Google came out of beta in fall 1999. Removing this test tag marked Google‘s search engine graduating into broader public trust and adoption.
No longer positioning itself as rough, experimental or potentially unstable, the official launch opened the doors. Millions more queries flowed in from people excited by Google‘s speed and relevancy.
Oh, and on the literal office front, the company relocated twice to larger spaces during 1999 trying to contain the explosion in both visitors and team members!
The Journey Continues Onward
I hope you enjoyed this nostalgic walk down memory lane to explore Google‘s early days!
It took many visionaries, curious minds, computer scientists and most importantly millions ofsearching users to shape its path from Stanford thesis project to global tech titan.
What began as two PhD students hacking away expanded into a powerhouse fueled by algorithms, user empathy and enthusiasm. Traces of the 1998-1999 DNA – intelligence matched with accessibility – still underpin innovations today.
What stands out or surprises you most comparing the Google genesis story to the behemoth you rely on regularly for searching and mapping the digital world in 2023? I‘d love to hear your thoughts!
