Don’t underestimate Google AdWords — the money that brings in, and the way it’s become the Internet’s gold standard for monetizing simple Internet searches. Google has done an incredible job of creating a market from almost nothing in the last ten years, and even Microsoft has been blown away by what Google has accomplished there. I would also argue that Google Analytics, Google Maps, and Gmail are indeed dominant (or quickly becoming so) in their respective areas.
But here’s the real reason why the company’s achievements are so impressive to me: Google became successful by creating applications and software that consumers chose to use, even though they had tons of other options. Whereas Microsoft became dominant by forcing itself down consumers’ throats and stamping out the competition behind the scenes. Consumers chose Google; consumers were forced to choose Microsoft. When you factor that in, Google’s accomplishments to me are more impressive than Microsoft’s, because it rose to power by creating a superior product.
Google may not have Microsoft’s revenue streams (yet), but it is without question the trend-setter and standard-bearer for Internet marketing and eCommerce. That’s no small accomplishment.