ElgooG

Last updated

elgooG
ElgooG 2015 logo.svg
Screenshot
ElgooG 2015 screenshot.png
elgooG's homepage
Type of site
 Search engine
Available in English
URL elgoog.im
Launched2002;24 years ago (2002)
Current statusActive

elgooG is the word Google spelled backwards. It has been used in the URL of an unofficial joke mirror site of Google Search, which allowed users from Mainland China to bypass the Great Firewall.

Contents

History

The first usage of the term comes from a Google mirror site created by All Too Flat, a website dedicated to "useless information and the promotion of laughter". It accepted queries and provided search results that were spelled in reverse alphabetical order. [1] [2]

elgooG was not officially affiliated with Google, [1] although the domain elgoog.com is owned by Google LLC as of January 13, 2026. [3] Its creators asked Google for permission to sell elgooG merchandise to cover bandwidth costs but were refused. [4]

elgooG gained popularity in 2002 because it could still be accessed from mainland China through the Great Firewall even after the government blocked search engines such as AltaVista and Google, although the mirror site did not have support for Chinese characters. [5] [1]

On April 8, 2015, Google created an official mirrored version of Google Search for April Fools' Day with com.google. [6] The site was the company's first ever use of the .google top-level domain. [7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Google Mirror FAQ". All Too Flat. February 18, 2003. Archived from the original on February 16, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  2. ↑ Karch, Marziah (January 14, 2020). "What Is elgooG?". Lifewire. Archived from the original on June 9, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  3. ↑ "RDAP Lookup" (JSON). Markmonitor. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Google users find mirror-image tweak". The Daily Titan . October 3, 2005. Archived from the original on May 23, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  5. ↑ Knight, Will (September 6, 2002). "Google mirror beats Great Firewall of China". New Scientist . Archived from the original on October 10, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  6. ↑ Tweedie, Steven. "Search Google backwards with this secret April Fools' Day trick". Business Insider . Archived from the original on July 9, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  7. ↑ Williams, Owen (April 1, 2015). "Roundup: All Of Google's Jokes For April Fools' Day 2015". TNW. Archived from the original on October 19, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
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