How search engines work - the basics

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How search engines work - the basics

Internet search engines help many Internet users find the information they need. Within seconds, they provide data that in most cases cannot be found without them.

Among all the available pages, search engines find the ones that most closely match the keywords we entered. Few people today have not heard of Google or Yahoo, but most of us have no idea how they work or where they get the results from.

Internet search engine basics

Below are some of the most important search engine terms.

  • The indexer robot is synonymous with spider. It is a "program" whose task is to read the content of a page, parse its content and HTML-code. The spider follows the links posted on the site (they are both internal and external links) and appears on both brand new and old pages. A page that has not yet been visited by the robot is not indexed, that is, it is not in the search results.
  • An index is a list of headings and short excerpts with links to pages that contain information relevant to our request.
  • A database is a collection of all websites indexed by jobs. When you visit websites, the indexing works create a huge database that is constantly updated as new pages appear, and these in turn are updated with new ones below the pages.
  • Search engine - evaluates the site in terms of the accuracy of the response to a specific request. The search engine is a very sophisticated algorithm that analyzes thousands of factors that influence the meaning of a given page for a given phrase. Based on these criteria, the program determines the position of the page in the index for a given query - a key phrase.

The most important functions of search engines

First of all, search engines allow you to get to the information that Internet users are looking for. Search engines also offer search suggestions so that we can better shape our opinions.

They work more and more accurately - thereby speeding up the process of using Internet resources. We can not only search for resources of the entire Internet, but also indicate a specific request, for example, regarding a certain city.

Search engines are also useful in the field of internet marketing, they allow, among other things:

  • Achieve a competitive advantage - getting a high position in search engine rankings increases the chances of getting a customer who is looking for a given product or service.
  • We can advertise at a relatively low cost - reaching a selected market of recipients looking for specific products or services.
  • Online brand awareness increases and builds a positive image.

What affects the position of a page in the index?

We do not know all the elements that affect the final ranking of a site by a search engine. The search algorithm is also constantly evolving. However, there are factors that can undoubtedly affect the position of a site in the search list.

Among others:

  • page content - for a site to rank high in search engine rankings, the content must answer queries entered in the search engine;
  • site structure - keywords should be in different places (for example, in headings, paragraphs);
  • keywords in the page title - meta title;
  • keywords in the domain name and address;
  • external links - not only the number of these links is important here, but also their importance - link anchor, the value of the page on which the link is placed;
  • outbound links - links to other websites;
  • internal link - a link to other subpages on this website;
  • domain registration date and history;
  • keyword density - keywords and their synonyms should appear on the page, but they should be placed naturally, excessive keyword saturation is called spam;
  • systematic posting of relevant content;
  • website recommendation to social networking users - sharing content through social networking sites such as Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter plays an increasingly important role.

What lowers the page position?

  • Copy content from other pages and create duplicate content.
  • Frequent server crashes.
  • Links to other pages with very low search engine rankings.
  • Spam is the use of an excessive number of keywords, especially in content not related to the inserted keywords.

How to use search engines to promote your company on the Internet?

  • It is realistic to focus on achieving the highest possible page position in the index for key phrases by increasing the content of the website and increasing inbound links. We can also use external companies to help with the positioning of the site.
  • We can also invest in sponsored links optimized for specific phrases, after which this entry will appear. Sponsored links are a form of paid advertising in the CPC model.

How to effectively search for information?

You should specify the password you are interested in. Every stylistic and spelling mistake works to our detriment - because it misleads the search engine. Fortunately, the search engine often suggests the correct, corrected phrase.

Requests should be as short, specific and precise as possible. Search engines allow you to narrow your search results to a specific website. Knowing the principles of website positioning makes it easier to find specific content on the Internet.

Is it possible to trick search engines by positioning a page?

You can try to do this, but the effect will be unfavorable. Many people and even companies that offer website positioning services use methods that do not follow Google's recommendations, which sooner or later ends up in a very unpleasant way for the website. If Google detects such tricks and does it better with each subsequent update of the algorithm, the page receives a temporary filter and its position in the index is significantly reduced until the detected inconsistencies are corrected, and in critical cases it is completely removed from the index.