In the late 1990s, internet users often discovered websites through directories and search engines that ranked pages using text, metadata and other signals. Page and Brin’s key contribution was PageRank, a system that used the web’s link structure as a measure of authority.
PageRank did not simply count links. It attempted to assess the quality and importance of the pages providing those links. A reference from a well-connected page could carry more weight than a link from an obscure site. The method was not perfect, but it helped Google return results that many users found more relevant than those offered by competing services.
Google also gained attention for a simple interface. Its uncluttered homepage loaded quickly at a time when many web portals were packed with news, email, shopping links and advertising. That narrow focus helped establish search as the company’s central product.
The founders initially explored licensing their technology to other companies. In 1998, Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim wrote an early check to Google before the company had fully completed its corporate structure. Venture capital investment followed, helping Google build infrastructure and hire engineers.
