Google introduced their AdWords Sponsored Links program back in 2002, although they did not invent the concept (Overture did) but improved vastly on what was available at the time.

It’s gone through many changes since, but has hugely increased it’s reach and relevance since then.

The origin of Google’s ‘Sponsored Links’

From the AlwaysOn Summit at Stanford, Marissa Mayer of Google shares an old company story. Marissa Mayer, VP of Search Products and User Experience at Google, sat on a panel at the AlwaysOn Summit over at Stanford University yesterday. The theme of the panel was centered on the growing pains of innovation – how does a company grow while keeping its innovative edge? She cited a real life case based on her experience at Google. Mayer explained that in the early days of Google, when it was still …