Chapter 5, “A billion dollars, one nickel at a time,” rewinds to the pre-Google era to reveal some of the revolutionary ideas that were being developed during this time—ideas that Google founders, Brin and Page, would later expand upon. As Battelle explains in this chapter better results were viewed in a negative light during the early stages of search. The most obvious reason for this belief is that portals did not want to direct consumers to other sites for fear of losing business. Consequently, there was no need to improve search results. Chapter 5 also discusses major changes occurring online and how these developments affected culture, specifically the spread and retrieval of information. One of the masterminds Battelle discusses is the entrepreneur Bill Gross. Gross was a pivotal player in technological transformation whose groundbreaking ideas from his Magellan application to his IdeaLab company, helped significantly shape web media.
Chapter 6 of Battelle’s “Search” exposes the administrative decisions that influenced Google’s first baby steps. The chapter chronicles Google’s development from its inception, when the meager start-up had only 39 employees, to the time the young founders were so overwhelmed with the growing business they sought outside help. Part of this help came from the seasoned business veteran Eric Schmidt. Schmidt stepped on to advise and direct Google’s immature creators. The changing company also called for a new business model. Taking a blind gamble Google decided to use its wholesome “organic” image to its advantage. Instead of investing major dollars to implement marketing strategies, the founders opted for a more cost-efficient public relations approach. In other words, Google relied on generating good press and word of mouth, to get its name out there. In the end, the plan paid off…figuratively and literally. In fact, the success of the business can be summarized by a headline that ran at the time. Simply stated, people were “Gaga over Google.”
Chapter 7 “The Search Economy” gives an overview of Google’s grasp on business and culture. Battelle reveals how the changes within the company affected small businesses that relied on Google to turn a profit. This chapter also describes some of the company’s early obstacles and how they responded (i.e. the trademark problem and “click fraud”).
To summarize, Chapters 5-7 continue to expand on Battelle’s central argument that Google has revolutionized society. Google impacts individuals from the way people retrieve information online to the way companies, big and small, do business. Google has even inspired new industries to help organizations stay afloat in the treacherous wake of technological advancement brought forth from search. Battle reveals how “search engine optimization” (SEO) grew out of the reality that being listed in Google’s top results translated directly into cash. Ultimately, the innovative philosophy behind Google has helped transformed culture and will continue to do so for years to come.
