Google Speaks: Secrets of the World's Greatest Billionaire Entrepreneurs, Sergey Brin and Larry Page

8.2. TEN THINGS GOOGLE HAS FOUND TO BE TRUE

When a company grows as madly as Google has, it is useful to have simple but grand guiding principles to keep everyone moving in the same direction. Employees find that these 10 principles, displayed on Google's website (under Corporate Information), help them make decisions and products that truly are Googly.

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow. The company strives to put the user ahead of shareholders when making corporate decisions. Additionally, Google makes these promises:

   • The website interface will be clear and simple.

   • Pages will load instantly.

   • Placement or ranking in search results is never sold to anyone.

   • Advertising must be relevant to the search and not be distracting.

2. It's best to do one thing really, really well."Google does search," the company used to say. As Google grows and launches new products, it drifts farther and farther away from this maxim. Still, the company claims that other products such as Gmail, Google Desktop, and Google Maps are just part of Google's effort to improve search.

3. Fast is better than slow."Google believes in instant gratification," it says, adding that "Google may be the only company in the world whose stated goal is to have users leave its website as quickly as possible."

4. Democracy on the Web works."Google works because it relies on the millions of individual posting websites to determine which other sites offer content of value," explains Google on its website. This has also been referred ...