“For a multimillion-dollar site financed by prominent venture
capitalists, Google is as plain and non-commercial as it gets. The
search engine, which officially launched on September 21, does not
currently carry advertising or offer any e-commerce links. If
Google’s home page had any more white space, it would be nearly
blank…“
“Rather than viewing portals like Yahoo! and Lycos as
competitors, Brin sees those companies as potential customers. The
plan for Google, he says, is to build a better search engine and
generate revenue by licensing its technology to other companies.
Google’s strategy is similar to that of Inktomi, another search
service that has positioned itself as a company that powers portals
rather than trying to create its own portal site.”
“So far, Google’s customers include Netscape, which has deployed
the service on its Netcenter site, and Red Hat, which is using the
technology for company-specific searches on its Web site. Google’s
deals with Netscape and Red Hat are its primary source of revenue
right now, and Brin says he is talking to other companies about
similar agreements. Google is also working toward generating money
through advertising, but does not plan to run banner
advertisements.”
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