Search alone did not explain Google’s eventual scale. The company developed advertising products that allowed businesses to appear alongside relevant search results. Google AdWords, introduced in 2000, became a major part of this model. The service later evolved into Google Ads.
Advertisers could bid on keywords and reach people who were actively searching for products, services or information. Google generally charged based on user interactions such as clicks, creating a measurable system for marketers. This approach helped make digital advertising more targeted and accountable than many traditional forms of advertising.
Google also displayed advertising through its wider network of websites. The company’s advertising technology connected businesses with online publishers and helped fund many free internet services. By the 2000s, search had become both an information tool for users and a powerful commercial marketplace.
This model created a close relationship between Google’s public-facing products and its revenue engine. More users generated more searches, more searches produced more advertising opportunities and advertising income supported further investment in products, data centres and research.
