Google's IPO share price set at $85

The announcement means the popular Internet search engine's total worth has been established at about $23 billion.

Google's share price has been set at $85 in its initial public offering, a company spokeswoman said.

The announcement means the popular Internet search engine's total worth has been established at about $23 billion.

Google Inc won final clearance earlier on Wednesday for a cut-price initial public offering after demand flopped for the biggest technology debut since the dot-com bubble burst.

The Securities and Exchange Commission gave the go-ahead for the frequently delayed offering by making its registration effective.

Google wrapped up a share auction, which began on Friday, about one hour after securing the approval.

The company's shares will begin trading at the Nasdaq stock exchange on Thursday.

Its information base includes some four billion Web pages. It can search in 97 languages and has a bigger audience outside the United States than inside the country.

For Wall Street, however, Google's innovation has come in what is known as paid search listings -- or keyword advertising -- allowing an advertiser to direct an ad to a Web user based on the type of search conducted.

Google agreed to launch its IPO with an estimated share price range of between $85 and $95, sharply down from the $108 to $135 range considered previously.