Businesses that rely on the internet component of IT needed to have an easier way of using the internet and with the success of Google; this task became much simpler. The search engine industry was originally led by Yahoo and closely followed by MSN and AOL. Google had less than 1% of the market share in 2000; however it quickly gained momentum in 2001 and 2002. By the end of 2002 Google had surpassed Yahoo as the market leader and has not looked back since, claiming more than 50% of the market for the past three years.
Google and other search engines have allowed businesses to use IT with more success. Whether it is ordering new telephone line packages for smaller businesses looking to decrease their expenditure with a better deal, to catering companies who need to place food and beverage orders. By being able to ‘surf’ the internet and having cyberspace answer questions that was never considered possible before the introduction of the internet and IT, many companies can compete at a higher level than ever before.
Businesses can get their websites to appear on the forefront pages of any major search engine. It is growing more expensive to achieve a business listing on the first few pages that appear on the search engines through a system that uses a ‘Keyword” search. There are big waiting lists for advertising on Google and the other major search engines which show no sign of an easing in demand.
