Nowadays it might seem impossible to imagine a world where the internet isn’t relevant. However, if you think about it this technological marvel is still a pretty recent invention. It only started to become widely used in the mid 1990s, and over the years it has changed quite a bit. The most popular websites on the internet have remained pretty consistent. There are three websites that have managed to reach the top spot, and each site is indicative of the kind of era they represented when it came to the internet at the end of the day.
The 90s were dominated by AOL. AOL was the reason why so many people were able to access the internet in the first place as the company offered dialup connections to users that were out there. The company also provided email and instant messaging services, so it was understandable that the AOL website was the most popular throughout the 90s receiving up to 400 million monthly visits during its peak.
The turn of the century brought about a change, though. The internet had become bigger and required a little more organizing, and search engines started to become essential to the internet experience. For the first six years of the 21st Century, Yahoo was the dominant search engine and therefore the most popular website. The next four years saw both Yahoo and Google fighting for the top spot before Google cemented its popularity in 2010 and Yahoo fell from grace for good.
Google’s highest monthly number of visits is 81 billion, a lot higher than what AOL had ever gotten. This also indicates exponential growth because of the fact that Yahoo only ever managed to get 11 billon during its prime, and Google has far surpassed that number. Social media sites are also becoming quite important now, and they might prove to be a threat to Google’s dominance.
Take a look at this video for more insights:
Read next: Which Companies Are the Most Innovative? (infographic)
The 90s were dominated by AOL. AOL was the reason why so many people were able to access the internet in the first place as the company offered dialup connections to users that were out there. The company also provided email and instant messaging services, so it was understandable that the AOL website was the most popular throughout the 90s receiving up to 400 million monthly visits during its peak.
The turn of the century brought about a change, though. The internet had become bigger and required a little more organizing, and search engines started to become essential to the internet experience. For the first six years of the 21st Century, Yahoo was the dominant search engine and therefore the most popular website. The next four years saw both Yahoo and Google fighting for the top spot before Google cemented its popularity in 2010 and Yahoo fell from grace for good.
Google’s highest monthly number of visits is 81 billion, a lot higher than what AOL had ever gotten. This also indicates exponential growth because of the fact that Yahoo only ever managed to get 11 billon during its prime, and Google has far surpassed that number. Social media sites are also becoming quite important now, and they might prove to be a threat to Google’s dominance.
Take a look at this video for more insights:
Read next: Which Companies Are the Most Innovative? (infographic)
