We are continually learning and gaining new information throughout most of our lives. From the day that we are born to this very day, we’re learning something new, and we usually incorporate much of this information into our daily lives. In the last few years, learning and adapting to any known problem is easier, especially since most people have been using search engines.
Usually, suppose we have problems, and we’re not sure how we solve these problems. In that case, we don’t need to dial some experts or see a professional and pay an excessive amount of consultation fees when solutions to problems are just one Google search away. Search engines have made such a significant impact in our lives that there are 4.6 billion search results generated by the largest search engine company up until this very day.
But even though most of us use search engines every day, most of us know only little to no information on how it operates. Although it might seem like search engines are programs that will need geniuses to maintain and keep in a functional condition, it’s relatively simple to understand.
So how do we know what search engines want us to see? How do we use this as an advantage for our business? We’ll be discussing in detail the search engine’s algorithms and how they work in a process that’s simple to understand.
The Science Behind Search Engines
Most people might think that search engines use an automated system that can quickly jot down everything in its database in just a few seconds to minutes — this isn’t necessarily the case. Most search engines will have a complex and intricate process in indexing the correct information and making it readily available to the public.
Crawling
Since the Internet will have millions of pages, it’s going to be hard for people to sift through thousands of sites in just a single day. What’s a solution to this problem? Automation has been a tried and tested solution to most types of scenarios, significantly when minimizing workloads. Web crawlers are automated programs (sometimes called “bots” by the community). Think of these bots as like your New World explorers that would traverse uncharted territory. They’re the frontier of the Internet and will actively seek out new content for the public.
Usually, new sites and pages will take time to be listed in search engines. Essentially, these web crawlers will sift through these new sites and will log these data. They’ll most of the time look for URLs, the sitemap, and the site’s code. Right after, it will weigh in on these content using specific criteria that can influence rankings.
Indexing
Once these crawlers have “discovered” these websites, the search engine will then have to organize this information. Like cartographers from centuries past, the search engines will need to “map” these websites and pages into something tangible.
This indexing process happens when search engines will review the presented data. There are specific criteria and factors that these engines will weigh in to get positive and negative rankings on a target site.
Right after that, the information will then be stored in appropriate servers for safekeeping.
Ranking
Finally, in the process, the ranking will play an integral role in displaying the content and data from the SERP (search engine results page). Like the indexing process, the order is usually weighed in on using different factors, including the user’s location, search preferences, relevancy, and quality.
The ranking is quite crucial for a lot of sites. Several businesses revolve around search engine optimization and getting your page to the top of the search engine results list. Why? It’s known that 53% of people will usually click on the first link of the search engine page, while only a small percentage will “dig” further into the search results pages.
Since search engine results can quickly help funnel in organic clicks and engagements, it’s only appropriate that most businesses should invest in SEO and digital advertising. Several companies usually offer digital out-of-home advertising to accelerate conversion rates and, ultimately, funnel in more engagements.
Search engines are one of the biggest technological marvels of this century. That has made it easier for us to solve problems as everything is just a search away. So right before you place your tinfoil hat on and think that all of these big tech firms are trying to get your information, it’s not always the case. Search engines are almost entirely automated, but there will be times that human intervention is needed, especially when it comes to digital advertising and search engine optimization.
