The almighty Google turns 13 today, and it was as if I was hit over the head with the irony.  What in world could be so satirical about Google becoming a teenager?  I have a 13 year-old daughter at home.

Because I believe that there are no coincidences in life, Google’s 13th birthday comes at a pivotal time in its’ history when the novelty of its amazing capabilities has worn off and not everyone buys what Google is serving up. (no pun intended)

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Google, but as with my 13 year-old, it is not the easiest thing to live with.  There is no doubt that Google has made life easier for us. Without it, many of our technological advances in the last 13 years would not have come to fruition, however they are still working through enormous growing pains.   Here are a few observations that I have made proving that Google truly is a teenager:

It makes the most simple of things difficult.  Why in the world would Google not make Google+ available to those of us using Google Apps?  Here we are paying for the privilege of using Google Apps and we are penalized for it by not allowing us to have a Goolge+ account.  I understand that Google is a little busy with other things, but a little common sense on their part could save many of us a lot of time and headache.  Which brings me to my next point…

Substance abuse is an issue*. Ok, that may be a little far-fetched. (Except for Google’s embarrassing $500 million settlement involving the importation of illegal prescription drugs into the US.)  Where I am going with this is that Google has the ability to abuse its enormous power to decide what content has substance and what is less than worthy.  Even the most avid SEO gurus have to scramble to keep up with how Google rates content (let alone, the average business owner). *My daughter would like me to note that this does NOT currently apply to her.

The Eye Roll.  Have you ever asked a teenager to clean their room while they are texting their friends? Did you have to literally yank the phone out of their hands to get their attention, only for them to roll their eyes back in their head at your audacity – “whatev, mom”!  I equate this to how Google reacts to many of its end users – John Q. Public.   Thousands of forums exist for everyday folks to get help with Google’s unending line-up of products and services, but in most cases, Google is too busy talking to its friends (developers and the tech insiders) to pay much attention to those of us that are just trying to get some work done.

So, in closing, unlike your average teenager, Google definitely has a reason to have such a huge ego.  However, in our house, everyone puts their pants on the same way, one foot at a time.  If Google doesn’t start addressing some the issues that small businesses are facing with search, there is not a doubt in my mind that someone else will be  the homecoming queen next year.