Do you know that around 1% of all Google ads go through the smart “I’m feeling lucky’ button which takes users directly to the first link of the search. Hence making it impossible for Google to show the ads for that particular search.

Rapts (a company that helps determine what advertising real estate on a Web page is worth) head Tom Chavez told to the Marketplace that directly jumping to the first link of the query cost Google around $110 Million per year. It means that a small “I’m Feeling Lucky” button costs Google 110 Million dollar per year.

But Then Why Google Keep Such Buttons?

Larry and Sergey at Google have a view that it’s not good enough to be to corporate or say too much about making money. Also they feel that buttons (features) like “I’m feeling lucky” make people feel that “the people here (at Google) have personality and that they have interests and that there is real people.” as said by Marisa Mayer (Google vice-president - responsible for everything on search page).

Why They Called It “I’m Feeling Lucky”?

According to co-founder Sergey Brin in interview with MarketPlace: The reason it’s called “I’m Feeling Lucky,” is of course that’s a pretty damn ambitious goal. I mean to get the exact right one thing without even giving you a list of choices, and so you have to feel a little bit lucky if you’re going to try that with one go.

Sometimes the smart “I’m Feeling Lucky” button also takes you to the wrong page (page not relevant or of no interest to your search query), hence indicating you are out of luck. Another view, to be on the right place (web page) you need to feel lucky.

Just a Info: Google received a trademark on the phrase “I’m feeling lucky” in the US on November 30, 2004.