Google has become for many the pre-eminent Web search engine. In Feb. 1999 it moved from Alpha test version to Beta and on Sept. 21, 1999 it officially launched.

Since that time it has made its mark with its relevance ranking based on link analysis, cached pages, and aggressive growth. Since its beta release, it has had phrase searching and the - for NOT, but it did not add an OR operation until Oct. 2000. In Dec. 2000, it added title searching. In June 2000 it announced a database of over 560 million pages, which grew to over 600 million by the end of 2000 and then 1.5 billion in Dec. 2001. The 2+ billion reported on their home page as of April 2002 includes indexed pages, unindexed URLs, and other file formats . By Nov. 2002, they moved their claim up to 3 billion, and in Feb. 2004 it went to 4 billion.

Databases :

• Web : Indexed Web pages (also includes URLs that it has not fully indexed ) and additional file types in the Web database include PDF, .ps, .doc, .xls, .txt, .ppt, .rtf, .asp, .wpd, and more.
• Ads: Paid advertisements usually shown on the right side (or top) under a "Sponsored Links" heading
• Images : Picture database
• Groups : Usenet news database
• News : Past 30 days of Web-based news sites
• Directory : A version of the Open Directory with entries ranked in Google's PageRank order
• Froogle : Shopping and product search (still in beta as of March 2004)
• Catalog Search : Scanned were all still in beta as of Aug. 2003.

Google also has a PageRank version of the Open Directory , and above their regular results, hits from their own news headlines database, stock quotes, calculator/conversions, and a phone number database may display. In addition it offers several specialized subsets: a government database of the .gov and .mil sites; University searches; a Linux search ; an Apple/Macintosh search ; and a Microsoft search .

The Google database is used by AOL, iWon,  at Netscape's Search site. Yahoo! dropped Google in Feb. 2004 after switching from Inktomi to Google in July 2000 and then reaffirming and more closely integrating Google results in Oct. 2002 . BBCi used Google from May 2002 until March 2003 when they switched to Inktomi .

Strengths :
   * Size and scope: It is now the largest, and includes PDF, DOC, PS, and many other file types
   * Relevance based on sites' linkages and authority
   * Cached archive of Web pages as the looked were indexed
   * Additional databases: Google Groups, News, Directory, etc.

Weaknesses : See also the Google Inconsistencies Page
   * Limited search features: no nesting, no truncation, does not support full Boolean
   * Link searches must be exact and are incomplete
   * Only indexes first 101 KB of a Web page and about 120 KB of PDFs
   * May search for plural/singular, synonyms, and grammatical variants without telling you

Next.....Review of Google features