What is a Search Engine?
Search Engine is a software which is designed to help Internet users to search anything via www (world wide web). We know that whenever a user enters a search query in a search engine and it shows a list of different web results. It may be in the form of websites, images, videos, news and many more.
The content which is shown by the search engine to a user is known as SERP, that is Search Engine Results Page.
In other language, Search Engine is a platform where the data is available to a user according his/her search query. It is usually accessed on the Internet via any Web Browser.
The search engines are getting even more smarter with the time. The main purpose of a Search Engine is to provide a user with the best information available on the web.
To achieve their goal the search engines are working really hard.
If we talk about today’s time then there are several types of search engines available on the Internet, each of them posses their own algorithm and fuctionality. And their web crawlers are continuosly running on the web, looking for fresh and latest updated content.
The First Ever Search Engine “Veronica”
Before Veronica there are a few of more which worked as a search engine in many perspectives, but Veronica is the first ever Text Based Search Engine.
As we all know in today’s time Google is the king of all the available Search Engines which is world widely being used by web users, the count is aproximately “2 Billion”.
Other than Google there are many more such as: Bing.com, Yandex.com, Ask.com, Baidu.com (China’s Local Search Engine), Yahoo, and AOL, etc.
How a Search Engine Can be Accessed?
To access a Search Engine you just need an Internet connection along with any type of Web Browser.
Web Browser can be explained as a platform or a software which helps a user to access the web content via www (world wide web).
There are many types of Web Browsers available such as:
Internet Explorer, Mozila Firefox, Omini, Google Chrome, etc.
How Does a Search Engine Work?
So, here we have reached at our next step which is how really a search work for you?
A normal Search Engine contains thousands of web pages and to show you the top web results it works on a particular algorithm, which actually decides the top search results.
But when it is about a big search engine, it contains approximately billions of pages. The large Search Engines and their algorithm are very complex as they have to do a lot to show your SERPs. The importance of the top pages is determined by using various Algorithms.
What is the process followed by a Search Engine?
The Search Engines have three types of primary functions which are as follows:
- Crawling: The Web Crawler (also known as web spiders) visits every single link of a web page followed by Internal and External Links. The links are known as URL (Unique Resource Locater)
- Indexing: The data is being stored and organized by the web crawler to Index it to the search engine. This process makes the web content available for the user via SERPs.
- Ranking: Here is the Search Algorithm decides which web page should come up on the top page of SERPs.
Process of Search Engine Working looks quite simple but its very complex in terms of actual functionality.
Google is known to be the biggest Search Engine as of now, and everyone is just trying to be the superstar of its algorithm, but as we all know that power comes with a great responsibility. Hence, Google always keep updating its algorithm, so that it can deliver its users with the fresh and best information available on the web.
So, if you want to understand the SERPs then first you will have to understand a Search Engine and its Algorithms. Keep youself upto date and serve search engines with the fresh and updated web pages. Google personally loves new content and useful information so make sure you continue with it. Google will definitely love your web pages and will make it available on its top SERPs.
All the Best!
Read Also: Quick SEO Checklist
