Google 2008 Annual Report Download - page 18

possible. Our team continually improves our relevance algorithms to objectively determine the best answers to our
users’ queries and to place these answers at the top of our search results. We are also constantly developing new
functionality and enhancing our offerings to allow our users to more quickly and easily find information.
Objectivity. We believe it is very important that the results users get from Google are produced with only their
interests in mind. We do not accept payment for search result ranking or inclusion. We do accept fees for
advertising, but the advertising is clearly marked and separated and does not influence how we generate our
search results. This is similar to a newspaper, where the articles are independent of the advertising. Inclusion and
frequent updating in our index are open to all sites free of charge. We believe it is important for users to have
access to the best available information, not just the information that someone pays for them to see.
Global Access. We strive to provide our services to everyone in the world and the Google interface is available
in 120 languages. Through Google News, we offer an automated collection of frequently updated news stories in
24 languages in 61 editions. We also offer automatic translation of content between various languages and provide
localized versions of Google in many developing countries.
Ease of Use. We have always believed that the most useful and powerful search technology hides its
complexity from users and gives them a simple, intuitive way to get the information they want. We have devoted
significant efforts to create a streamlined and easy-to-use interface based on a clean search box set prominently
on a page free of commercial clutter. We introduce new navigational or informational features when we believe
they will be most useful to our users, and only after extensive usability testing and experimentation.
Pertinent, Useful Commercial Information. The search for information often involves an interest in
commercial information—researching a purchase, comparing products and services or actively shopping. We help
people find commercial information through our search services and advertising products. We also present
advertisements that are relevant to the information people seek. Our technology automatically rewards ads that
users prefer and removes ads that they do not find helpful.
Multiple Access Platforms. The mobile phone is the primary way that many people around the world access
the internet. We have continued to invest in improving mobile search and have introduced applications that allow
users to access search, email, maps, directions and satellite imagery through their mobile devices.
Improving the Web. We want to make the web experience as good as possible for users around the world. This
includes providing platforms for developers to build, deploy and run increasingly rich applications. For users, we are
investing in areas to improve their experience in using web-based applications, including making browsers more
stable and powerful.
Products and Services for our Users
Our product development philosophy involves rapid and continuous innovation, with frequent releases of
early-stage products that we then iterate and improve. We often make products available early in their
development stages by posting them on Google Labs, at test locations online or directly on Google.com. If our
users find a product useful, we promote it to “beta” status for additional testing. Once we are satisfied that a
product is of high quality and utility, we remove the beta label and make it a core Google product. Our main
products and services are described below.
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