How Search Engine Works

How Search Engine Works?
Each search engine uses their own software programs, but the way they work is
pretty similar. They all perform three tasks: First, they examine content they learn
about and have permission to see (that’s called crawling). Second, they categorize
each piece of content (that’s called indexing). And third, they decide which
content is most useful to searchers (that’s called ranking).
Let’s take a closer look at how these work. Search engines “crawl” the Internet to
discover content, like web pages, images and videos. Each search engine uses
computer programs called “bots” (short for robot), “crawlers” or “spiders” to
make their way through the pages.
The bots hop from page to page by following links to other pages. These bots
never stop; their sole purpose is to visit and revisit pages looking for new links
and new content to include in the index. Indexing is the second part of the
process. The index is a gigantic list of all the web pages and content found by the
bots. The search engine uses this index as the source of information displayed on
the search results pages.
But, not everything the bots find makes it into a search engine’s index.
For example, search engines may find multiple copies of the exact same piece of
content, located on different websites.
How is that possible? Well, imagine you’re not searching for a coffee shop, but a
coffeemaker. You might notice that the top-of-the-line CoffeeKing2000 has the
same word-for-word description on the websites of many major retailers. The
description might have been provided by the manufacturer... but now the search
engine has decisions to make: which version to keep in the index? There’s no
need for hundreds of duplicates, so it’s unlikely that every page will be added.
So if you own a website that’s selling coffeemakers, you’re likely better off writing
your own description of the CoffeeKing2000.
Make sense? That covers crawling and indexing, which just leaves us with ranking.
When you type in a search, the engine compares the words and phrases you use
to its index, looking for matching results. Let’s say, for example, the search engine
finds 230 million matching results. Now it’s time for the last part of the search
engine’s task: ranking.
The way search engines rank pages is top secret—it’s their ‘special sauce.’ There
are hundreds of ways search engines determine rank, including things like the
words on the page, the number of other websites linking to it, and the freshness
of the content.
But no matter what formula they use to determine rank, the goal remains the
same: to try to connect the searcher with what they are looking for.
Say you’ve read about an Australian-style cappuccino called a flat white and you
want to try it. If you search for “flat white coffee near me” the search engine will
show you nearby shops selling the drink, because your search indicated your
location. You might even see a map to help you find them. So, what have we
learnt? Search engines are constantly working to scour the web for content,
organize it and then display the most relevant results to searchers. Understanding
this process will help you make your website the best it can be.
How Search Engine Sees Web?

In simple terms, when you ask a search engine to find something, it looks through
a huge list of previously indexed pages, called “the index,” and pulls out relevant
results based on what you’re looking for.
Pages make it into “the index” only after the search engine has determined what
they’re about. That way, it can file them in exactly the right place amongst the
other pages, and find them the next time a search relates to their content.
By knowing how a search engine decides what a page is about, you can optimise
your pages to make sure they show up in the search results of people looking for
websites just like yours. Let’s say you own a coffee shop, and you’ve got a website
to promote it. When you look at a page on the site you see this.
But when a search engine looks at the same page, in addition to seeing what you
see on your screen, it also sees the code behind it, called HTML.
Specific parts of this code help the search engine understand what the web page
is all about. And knowing which parts are important can help you to optimise your
site. First, the title of the page in the code.
In this example, you can see the title in the tab at the top: “Cotswolds Coffee
Shop.” The search engine sees the title enclosed in a piece of code called a title
tag. It looks like this:
Cotswolds Coffee Shop
Many websites can be edited using tools that handle all the HTML coding for you -
that’s called a content management system, or CMS. If you use a CMS to make
changes to your website, there’s probably a place to add this title, too. You can
help the search engine index your page properly by making sure your page title
accurately describes its content. That way it can show up in relevant searches.
The next thing you’ll want to think about is the page’s text. Think about who you
want to visit your page, and what words they’re using to describe your products
and services. Do they talk about fair trade coffee? Do they use the term
cappuccino instead of macchiato? These are probably the terms they’re also using
to search.
Try to speak the language of your customers when you write your content.
Because this can help ensure they’ll find your pages when they search. Finally,
let’s talk about the page’s images.
Search engines won’t see the mouth-watering photos of your coffee creations in
the same way we do - which is a shame. But what they will see is the code behind
it.
To help search engines identify the image, give it a descriptive name.
For example, image.jpg is not a great file name for search engines. Whereas,
something that describes exactly what’s in the picture, like iced-peppermint-
mocha.jpg, is.
You can even take it one step further by adding “alternative text” in the code with
your image. Known as an “Alt tag,” it describes the image, which is useful for
people using web browsers that don’t display images, or for people with visual
impairments who use software to listen to the content of web pages.
In the HTML, the ALT tag will appear something like this:
Again, if you use a content management system to update your website there’s
probably a place to add an Alt tag, too.
So remember: Use descriptive, unique titles for each page on your site. Write for
your customers, but remember to include important words and phrases that can
help search engines understand what your pages are all about. And don’t forget
to name image files with descriptive words and include alternative text.
Together, all of these tips can help search engines understand your pages and put
them in front of the people that matter - your potential customers.

How Search Engine Works

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How Search Engine Works?

How Search Engine Sees Web?

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To help search engines identify the image, give it a descriptive name.

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