{"id":2558,"date":"2021-09-04T08:40:54","date_gmt":"2021-09-04T08:40:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seobuddy.com\/blog\/?p=2558"},"modified":"2023-05-11T03:53:36","modified_gmt":"2023-05-11T03:53:36","slug":"how-search-engines-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seobuddy.com\/blog\/how-search-engines-works\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Search Engines Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Search engines work by using bots they developed, called spiders <\/strong>or web crawlers<\/strong>, crawling billions of pages every day. These bots follow links from page to page, adding new content to the search engine’s index along the way. Each time you use a search engine, it uses an algorithm to find and rank the results using the information in its index. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re scratching your head, we understand. Search engines are complicated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you want your website to climb the rankings and earn more traffic, you need to know how they operate. Below we cover everything you need to know about how a search engine works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are Search Engines?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Search engines find and rank internet content to answer a user’s query. A new type of search engine like Curiosity<\/a> also lets users search their own files across their folders and apps.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every search engine has two major parts: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Search Index<\/li>
  2. Algorithm <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Think of the index as a digital library full of web content. The algorithm is a computer program that ranks the content in the library by relevance to the user’s search query.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here are some of the most popular search engines in the world:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    The Fundamentals of Search<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Search engines work by crawling<\/strong>, indexing<\/strong>, and ranking<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Web crawlers or spiders crawl sitemaps that website owners provide the search engine. As the spiders crawl the pages, they discover links which they follow to new pages and new sites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Each time they find a new page, they add it to the search engine’s index. Then the search algorithm ranks the content based on signals like keywords and site freshness. We’ll discuss each part of the search process in more detail below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Crawling<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    During crawling, spiders scour the internet for information. They do this by jumping from page to page using links. They identify which links to follow based on tags such as HREF and SRC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    As they move, they determine the relationship between different pages of a site, which helps the search engine index and then rank the various pages. That’s why it’s crucial to have a logical site hierarchy and internal links on every page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Indexing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Once spiders crawl a page, a bot renders the page the way your browser would display it. You can think of this as the bot “seeing” the page. It will sort images, text, and keywords to understand what the page is all about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Search engines store the sorted information in an index. Each index contains a catalog entry for each word from every webpage ever crawled! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Ranking<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Finally, search engines sort through the index using search algorithms to provide relevant results for users’ search queries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    The algorithm is really a list of rules that determine the best results based on numerous quality factors the search engine designates. These include things like backlink quality and mobile friendliness, which we’ll discuss in detail later on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What Do Search Engines Want? \/ What Is The Aim Of Search Engines?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Before we dig further into the finer details of search engine mechanisms, it’s important to remember the search engine’s goal. Every search engine wants to meet the needs of its audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    With Google, that means providing accurate answers that help their users solve problems or gain information. Other search engines, like the one within Amazon, for example, want to show users what they can buy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Keeping the search engine’s goal in mind helps you to optimize your content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can provide the answers or products that the search engine users hope to find. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How Does A Crawler Work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Above, we gave a brief overview of what a crawler does, but how does it work, exactly? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Crawlers are also called spiders because they crawl the world wide web. Unlike the physical world, though, spiders on the internet don’t spin silk thread. Instead, they travel from link to link, thereby showing the relationship between different pages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Each time they find a new page, they read the content’s code. The highest-ranking content on Google and other search engines have code that the spiders can easily read. Content creators do this by paying attention to search engine optimization or SEO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It’s important to remember that humans don’t run crawlers or spiders. They’re autonomous programs that use given rules to decide what belongs in a search engine’s index and what doesn’t. A site selling illegal substances, for example, will never be added to the index. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What Is Indexing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    If a crawler determines they should add a site to the index, the search engine catalogs the web page and gives it an identifying tag. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This works just like a library. When a librarian receives a new copy of a book, they determine where it belongs, whether that be in fiction, nonfiction, or another section. In the same way, search engines label web content so that they can access it readily. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When you type in a search query, like “What is SEO?” the search engine can pull the most relevant content in a matter of seconds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Of course, there’s probably more than one legitimate link for a question like that. All sorts of sites list beginner guides to SEO. So, Google and other search engines have to rank content as well, which we’ll talk about in more detail below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How Do Search Engines Build Their Index?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Before we talk about ranking, though, let’s explore indexing a little further. According to Google, everything begins with a list of known URLs. Those URLs receive crawlers that process and render the webpage. Then, indexing occurs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, where do the URLs come from initially? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Well, Google uses three techniques to find URLs to crawl: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Backlinks<\/li>
    2. Sitemaps<\/li>
    3. URL Submissions<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

      We’ll cover each in a little more depth below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      From Backlinks<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      Google and other search engines already have a massive index of websites. Anytime one of those sites adds a link to a new site, a crawler will follow it. These links are called backlinks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      From Sitemaps<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      Sitemaps are precisely what they sound like, a map of a website. They list all the essential pages on a site in hierarchical order. Website owners can submit sitemaps to Google, which may help their site attract crawlers faster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      From URL Submissions<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

      Google allows website owners to submit individual URLs as well. They’ll send a crawler to the site once the website owner sends the URL through Google’s Search Console. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Why Do Some Pages Show Up Higher Than Others?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      Now that we have a good understanding of crawling and indexing, it’s time to talk about ranking. Ranking determines why some pages show up higher than others in search results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Search engines use algorithms to rank content, and each algorithm is different. Google’s algorithm is by far the most influential, though, so we’ll focus on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      No one knows exactly how Google’s algorithm ranks content. They are famous for having over 200 ranking factors, and there’s not a single expert who can name them all. However, there are some key factors we’re sure of. We’ll discuss each one in detail below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Backlinks<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      According to Andrey Lipattzev<\/a>, Search Quality Senior Strategist at Google, the two biggest factors for ranking are content and links pointing back to your site. Everyone already knows that content is king; that’s been a rule in content marketing since day one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Fewer people pay attention to the second half of Lipattzev’s statement. Backlinks matter too. Google’s algorithm ranks pages by the quality and quantity of backlinks to that page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The more websites that link back to your site as a source of information, the higher your site will rank in Google search results. But it’s not simply a matter of quantity; quality matters too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

      If an authoritative site, like the New York Times, posts an article that links to your blog, your blog will rank higher in search results even if you don’t have many other backlinks.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Clearly, not all backlinks are equal. Link authority and link relevance are important to consider. Let’s zoom in on each of those factors. <\/p>\n\n\n

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