Go.com was Disney’s failed attempt at creating its own version of Google

Back in 2000 when the internet first started becoming part of every day life, Disney knew they wanted to take part in facilitating the public’s desire. That lead to the creation of what would be Go.com.

For many who were using the internet during the millennia, you might have remembered the URL and homepage that had a simple search bar that served up web content. Much of that content that related to Disney was placed in front of users more than not as a means of subconscious advertising for the companies products.

Long story short, Go.com didn’t resonate with the public. It was shut down by the end of 2001 and cost Disney about $70 million and the layoff of 400 employees. The backend infrastructures were repurposed to host Disney’s other websites, which is why you might have noticed that most Disney websites still included the Go.com domain name in their URLs.

Just recently, Disney Interactive began to finally move the Go.com domain name out for brand consistency and search engine optimizations that come with today’s internet culture.

After nearly two decades, change has come, but not after remembering one of Disney’s biggest business failures in its history.