But smartphones now account for more internet use than PCs, and that changes things.
"When you have a 5in-diagonally-across screen - it's not designed to type," acknowledges Google's search chief Amit Singhal.
"So, on mobile you have to fundamentally give users new ways to interact."
To address the problem, Mr Singhal's team has developed Now on Tap.
The facility - which is being released as part of the latest Android mobile operating system - lets users get related information about whatever is on their handset's screen with a single button press.
As an example, Mr Singhal describes a text chat with his wife, in which he suggests a restaurant.
He explains his spouse could bring up driving directions and the place's opening hours simply by holding down the home button when the restaurant's name was displayed.
The feature works with any app. And if someone wants to know something specific, they can trigger a contextual voice search by saying: "OK Google".
One possibility would be asking: "Who's the lead singer?" when a song's name is displayed in Spotify.
"It's search designed for the mobile world," says Mr Singhal.