Here's a citation illustrating the more general sense of the verb:

Using google to scope out a new boyfriend or girlfriend — which has also been called Google dating and interpersonal espionage — took off after a lengthy article on the practice appeared in the January 15, 2001 issue of the New York Observer. However, the honor of the first print citation goes to the Telegraph-Herald, which published a story just the day before (see the earliest citation, above).

Note, too, some people claim you can only use the verb google to refer to a Google search. That makes sense, but how people use language often isn't sensible (how dull that would be!). Google is being used in a more general way. For example, one person told me that their daughter said she was "googling for her other sock." And here's an example citation (one of dozens I could provide) that shows the use of googling as a synonym for "searching the Web":