Alphabet’s main internet search engine is Google Search.
Google Search began as a research project by Larry Page and Sergey Brin at Stanford University. The pair incorporated Google in 1998, and the search engine became the foundation of the business that later grew into Alphabet, one of the world’s largest companies by market capitalization.
Google Search ranks web pages using automated systems that analyze links, words, relevance, freshness, and many other signals. Its results pages have expanded beyond traditional blue links to include maps, images, news, videos, knowledge panels, and direct answers.
A common mix-up is treating Google and Alphabet as identical names. Google is the best-known operating company and brand, while Alphabet Inc. became the parent company in 2015. Alphabet also owns businesses and projects outside search, including YouTube and Google Cloud.