What is the first thing that comes in when you think of the internet? Google right? It’s on every device, is the easiest way to get online, and has even become a verb. Essentially, Google lets you see anything on the world wide web. So it must be a web browser! But is Google a web browser?
The answer is no! Google is not a web browser; it’s a search engine. Google collects, sorts, and organizes information on the internet by websites. Then, when you use Google to search for something, it uses that information to find you the most relevant websites.
You can think of it as a library. The library doesn’t create books but collects them so you can easily find and read them. However, in the case of Google, the library record what you like to read so it can better recommend other things for you in the future. So now, let’s learn more about Google’s history and how it works!
What is Google?
If you’re talking about the rainbow color “GOOGLE” that you use to search things over the internet, it’s a search engine. A search engine is a giant website that helps you find other websites based on what you type into it.
If you want to find a lasagna recipe, you would go to Google and type in “lasagna recipe.” Then, Google would show you a bunch of websites with lasagna recipes, from the most popular to the least popular.
Currently, Google is the most popular search engine in the world. Around 70 thousand searches are made on Google every second!
But the real GOOGLE is not just a search engine. GOOGLE LLC is a giant multinational technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products.
These include online advertising technologies, search, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. Almost all of their services are built around the data they collect from their search engine.
What is Google Chrome?
Google Chrome is a web browser created by Google. A web browser is a software application that allows you to access the internet. So you run the search engine (like Google.com) in the web browser (like Chrome) to find websites.
You can also directly type a website’s URL into the web browser to go to that site. It’s like your internet window to the world! Other popular web browsers are Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.
Currently, Google Chrome is the most popular web browser in the world, with an estimated 65.5% market share. It’s the official browser for Android devices, which makes up a vast majority of the smartphone market. And it is also available on Apple devices, Windows, and Linux computers.
When Did Google First Launch?
The first version of the Google search engine was launched on September 4, 1998, by Larry Page and Sergey Brin. They were both Ph.D. students at Stanford University in California.
The original name for Google was “BackRub” because the algorithm they used to rank websites was based on how many other websites linked back to them. But they quickly changed the name to Google, a play on the word “googol”—a mathematical term for a 1 with a hundred zeros after it.
In one year, Google became an established search engine serving 10,000 searches per day. By 2000, they launched Google AdWords, the online advertising service, and it became a profitable business in just three years. Then, in 2004, they went public with their IPO and became a household name.
And the rest is history!
What is the Difference Between a Search Engine and a Web Browser?
The main difference between a search engine and a web browser is what they do with the internet. A search engine is a website that gathers information from all other websites on the internet and creates a database.
The database doesn’t hold the content of websites—it just keeps track of what is where. And then sorts and organizes the data according to certain parameters so when you type in something specific, the search engine can give you a list of relevant websites.
On the other hand, a web browser is a software application you install on your computer. It allows you to access the internet and view websites.
When you type in a website’s address (like www.xyz.com), the web browser will connect to the internet and find the website for you. This means you need a web browser to visit a search engine, which is a website.
However, web browsers and search engines have become more than just a way to view websites. With the rise of cloud computing, web browsers are now used to run all kinds of applications. This includes email, video chat, music players, and even games.
On the other hand, search engines have become a way for people to access information beyond just websites. You can now use a search engine to find images, videos, news, and even books! And the data they collect from their user activity is used for everything from targeted advertising to artificial intelligence research.