🕹️ Google Tricks · Google in 1997 · Retro
Google in 1997 Trick
(Is There One?)
If “Google in 1998” works, then surely “Google in 1997” does too. That’s the logic behind a small but steady number of searches, and it’s a reasonable guess. It’s just not how it turned out.
Here’s what we found, what Google actually was that year, and what to use instead. It’s part of our retro Google tricks guide.
Quick answer: We found no official “Google in 1997” trick. The real one is “Google in 1998,” a 2013 Easter egg. In 1997 Google was still a Stanford research project, and the company wasn’t incorporated until September 1998. For an old look, try the 1998 egg or the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.
What we checked
We looked for any documented Google Easter egg, official or fan-made, that recreates 1997. Google’s own coverage, news reports on the 2013 and 2018 anniversary eggs, and the elgooG catalog all point to 1998 as the year Google chose. The 1997 searches mostly lead back to the 1998 page.
What Google was in 1997
Google began as a Stanford research project. According to Search Engine Journal, founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin conceived it in 1995 at the university, and Google was incorporated on September 4, 1998. In between, it was a research site, not a company with a polished homepage worth recreating. Even the 1998 recreation on elgooG keeps the Stanford Search link as a nod to those roots.
That’s the practical reason there’s no 1997 trick. Google picked a date when it had a recognizable homepage and a company birthday to celebrate.
What to try instead
| Option | What you get | Official? |
|---|---|---|
| Search “Google in 1998” | A results page styled after early Google | Yes, added in 2013 |
| elgooG 1998 recreation | A clickable 1998 homepage in an Internet Explorer 4-style window | No, fan-made |
| Wayback Machine | Archived captures of old pages, if they were saved | Not Google; run by the Internet Archive |
Internet Explorer 4 shipped in 1997, so the browser window in the elgooG recreation is a fitting nod to the year you were looking for. For the full picture of what the 1998 egg does, read Google in 1998 game play.
Looking at old pages yourself
- Go to the Wayback Machine and enter the address of the page you want to see.
- Pick a capture date from the calendar. Not every date has one.
- Remember that old captures may be missing images or links.
Prefer something that’s official and always there? Our complete list of Google Easter eggs shows what still works, and our free AI tools are the modern way to do almost everything these retro pages used to promise.
Frequently asked questions
We found no official Google in 1997 trick. The official retro egg is “Google in 1998,” which Google added in 2013 for its 15th anniversary.
We found no official 1997 recreation. The “Google in 1998” egg shows the early results-page style, and archived captures may exist on the Internet Archive.
Google was incorporated on September 4, 1998. Search Engine Journal says the founders conceived it in 1995 at Stanford University.
Try the “Google in 1998” search, a fan recreation such as elgooG’s 1998 homepage, or the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, which keeps captures of old web pages.
It depends on what the Internet Archive captured. The Wayback Machine lets you pick a page and browse its saved dates, but not every date has a capture.
Sources checked
Facts here were checked against these sources on November 2, 2026. Gameplay and settings were not tested for this article, so try anything yourself before relying on it.
- Search Engine Journal, September 2018 — Google’s 1995 origin at Stanford.
- Silicon Republic, September 2013 — the 1998 egg and the incorporation date.
- elgooG Google in 1998 page — the Stanford Search link and the browser-window recreation.
To look at old pages yourself: the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, which keeps captures of old web pages.