How does a Search Engine work?

As you know, a Search Engine helps you to find information on the Internet.

Search Engine 'intelligence'

The internet probably contains billions of web pages, and you cannot find a single one unless you know where to look, or get someone to look for you.

A Search Engine indexes internet web pages that have been submitted to its listings, and these will be indexed by a 'search robot'. This is a technical term for a very fast software program that searches through all the web pages in its list, makes an index of the contents of those web pages, and stores the information. Google, the biggest search engine, indexes over 8 BILLION web pages.

The search engine then applies a mathematical formula, called an algorithm, to its indexing, to try to bring the most relevant web sites to the top of the list.

Filtering the information

From the user's point of view, the Search Engine acts as a filter to help them to find what they are looking for. This is where 'relevance' comes in. If you type the words fishing rod supplier UK, you want the best, most relevant, search result. You don't want information about music in Moldova, holidays in Havana or ink from India. Just fishing rod suppliers in the UK, and the most relevant ones out of the 186,000 that it finds. So how do you get your web site listed near the top of the pile? How do you stand out from the rest? You need search engine optimisation.

SEO by Authorgraphic Ltd - Search Engine Optimisation UK