A SHORT HISTORY OF SEARCH

Why not call it Gyuvetch?

When you want to connect your house to the internet, the technician is almost sure to type gbg.bg to check out if all works properly.

This is not just a habit, this is part of the history of internet in Bulgaria. Most people will choose exactly this website, because it is one of the first web pages created in our country.

On October 21, 1997 the Bulgarian web space was served a portion of "gyuvetch" (a typical Bulgarian meal made of vegetables, meat and eggs).

The recipe was written by two friends: Pavel Kalinov and Georgi Serbezov, who decided to create a sort of a big online catalogue of websites. When they saw everything they have accumulated in their database, the two friends jokingly concluded they have created a sort of "gyuvetch".

The next thing that comes to their mind was: "Why not call it Gyuvetch?"

Thus, a joke marked the creation of the name of one of Bulgaria's first websites.

After an unsuccessful attempt to sell the platform, in 1999 Netinfo decided to launch a serious expansion on the market and purchased the Gyuvetch brand, which at that time was already part of the everyday lives of internet users in Bulgaria.

Short history of search

In the end of the 1990s, search engines were not what we know today. To get an idea of what things looked like back then, websites like "Gyuvetch" were literally instructing users what to do online.

Users searched a topic, and Gyuvetch generated a list of websites where they could find out more about the subject they were interested in.

In a bid to be even more useful to its users, subcategories (prototypes of today's specialized websites) were created in Gyuvetch, where one could find the programme of cinemas, a bare to visit in their town or even funny jokes.

Thus, Gyuvetch created a catalogue of information websites.

Another important step followed – linking Gyuvetch and the mail service, uniting millions of Bulgarians – Abv. Thus, Netinfo created a digital journey within its portfolio providing users a one-stop solution for everything they need.

Dynamics of change

The challenge of working in the digital field is that yesterday and today may have nothing in common.

The dynamics of change in this environment resembles a time lapse shot in a city to see how its architecture has transformed. The only difference is that, while this change would probably take a year in the city, in the digital world everything may happen within a single day. Gyuvech is no exception from this process.

The website undergoes serious transformation – it was redesigned and thoroughly rearranged so it could remain part of the everyday lives of online users.

Its landmark logo stayed the same, but its infrastructure was "overhauled".

The team behind Gyuvetch decided to trust their intuition. However, the intuition that actually mattered was the intuition of users – the team traced the user journey on the website to find out what they liked to do, what was the first thing they opened and what they were interested in. Various blocks were set up, forwarding users to the other websites in the group's portfolio. The philosophy was in line with the latest trends – more infotainment (curious and unique content) which might as well get lost in the other websites, but could be easily seen in Gyuvetch.

The website now has a mobile version so anyone can easily carry a "gyuvetch" on their smartphone.

The most important element of Gyuvetch, however, is the human factor. Content there is not generated automatically – there are people behind it. Maybe this is the successful recipe behind the website – it is sure to continue to evolve both in terms of the functionalities, and in terms of the technologies that will be utilized.

Still, one thing is certain – this "Gyuvetch" will remain tasty and will keep viewers coming back for more.

*data source: Google Analytics currently used by Netinfo