Linking to the "I'm Feeling Lucky" Google Search
So one thing I've always loved about Google is the I'm feeling lucky search feature. Most of the time I know that the top result is the one I need. Earlier today, I was googling for how to link directly to the Google results using an "I'm Feeling Lucky" search, and I found one interesting thing. I am not sure how accurate the information is, but it seems that Google loses $110 million per year because of the "I'm feeling lucky" button. Clicking the button means you see no ads from Google, so Google effectively does not get any money from a user who clicks that button.
OK, so by now I would hope that someone is wondering why I would want to create a link which points to an "I'm Feeling Lucky" result. Well it is quite obvious that I want to hide the eventual destination of the link. I am assuming that people will notice that it goes to Google, but will not notice the part of the query string where it really doesn't send them to Google.
So I found out that all you have to add into the querystring is btnI=745. Yes, it is that easy, so Here is a nice example of a link I believe you should all see.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=french+military+victories&btnI=745
Following the link I have listed above is the same as doing what my screen shot illustrates.
Yes, I think it is a very funny joke. That site has been the top result on Google for that search for a looong time. It is the top result for "french military victories", and is quite a funny result. It could use an update to look like the current version of the Google results page, but it is still pretty nice. I could also link to this site, and send people through Google to get there.
Orcs Goblins and .NET
Have a great day, and don't use this for anything nefarious!