Content

For Google’s 15th Birthday, Search “Google In 1998” For A Flashback

Google turns 15 this week — celebrating its official birthday on Friday. But it already is gearing up for the celebrations with a special easter egg. Search for “google in 1998,” and you’ll see how Google used to look back then, in the year of its birth.

The head of Google’s web spam team, Matt Cutts, shared the news on Twitter. Here’s how it looks:

google in 1998 - Google Search

Kind of nostalgic seeing the old look — and some of the names of other search engines of the period, which Google used to link to at the bottom of its results.

Explore more on

Easter egg Google Matt Cutts Search engine X
Add Search Engine Land as a preferred source on Google

Editorial disclosure

Contributing authors are chosen for their expertise and work under the oversight of the editorial staff. Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush. The contributor was not asked to mention Semrush; the opinions expressed are their own.

About the author

Danny Sullivan
Danny Sullivan was a journalist and analyst who covered the digital and search marketing space from 1996 through 2017. He was also a cofounder of Third Door Media, which publishes Search Engine Land and MarTech, and produces the SMX: Search Marketing Expo and MarTech events. He retired from journalism and Third Door Media in June 2017. You can learn more about him on his personal site & blog He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.