Are you feeling lucky? Not on Google

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 4 Oct 2007 at 10:16

Google has admitted that barely anybody uses its infamous "I'm Feeling Lucky" button - but that the company is scared stiff of removing the feature.

Fewer than one per cent of Google searches make use of "I'm Feeling Lucky", which whisks users straight to the page at the top of the search rankings for that particular term, rather than revealing the full list of search results.

Yet, even though the button takes a prominent place on Google's spartan search page that could easily be used another of the search king's more popular search features, Google says it is loathe to remove the button.

"If we took it away, there would be mass protests worldwide," claims Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president for search products, in an interview with the Washington Post. "It's part of our heritage. It's part of what users really like about us."

The Post claims that user studies reveal that the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button shows the company isn't taking itself too seriously, and adds a personal touch to a company that it is increasingly becoming a sprawling, multinational beast. However, those same studies show that people are not even sure what the button does.

Nevertheless, Google remains reluctant to remove its lucky charm.