Search Engines
They are computer programs designed to help find documents stored on the World Wide Web.
Search results are typically presented in the form of a list called “Search Engine Results Pages,” and the information provided can be a mix of web pages, images, and other types of files.
Search engines mine available data in databases or web directories. Unlike web directories, which are maintained by human editors, search engines maintain real-time information by running an algorithm on a web crawler.
Understanding how search engines work is the first step and the key that will allow you to optimize your website for search engines correctly and effectively.
The work of search engines, especially Google, is based on three core functions.
These functions or stages are interconnected and rely on each other.
Stage One: Crawling
The word “Crawling” literally means crawling, and it is the first stage of how search engines work. It is a process performed by smart computer programs called spiders, bots, or crawlers.
This is the process where the pages of all websites are visited to access new and updated pages in order to collect data about them for indexing in the search engine’s database.
The spiders start the crawling process by relying on links from pages that are already in the database, and then they move to the links of newly created web pages.
It is worth noting here that search engine spiders understand web pages through the programming code used, such as HTML language.
Stage Two: Indexing
The index is the search engine’s database, which contains data for each web page that has been indexed by the search engine. It is collected through the crawling process.
This is the source of displaying results in each search operation.
Google’s search engine database contains an index of billions of web pages, videos, images, documents, etc.
Not all web pages are actually stored in the search engine’s database, but certain parts of each web page’s content are saved.
For example, each web page is linked to certain words and phrases that represent it, which are then used in the search results.
It is worth mentioning that the indexing process is intertwined with the crawling process, which is why many people refer to crawling and indexing as one single process.
Stage Three: Providing Results
In this process, the search engine displays results to the user based on the search keywords.
Of course, the source of the search results is the database that was collected in the previous stage.
It is worth noting that search engines possess massive databases worldwide, managed by powerful, high-speed machines, which is why the search results on Google appear in less than a second.
The order of the search results is determined by previously prepared algorithms based on numerous factors called Rank Factors.
The search engine acts as the guide or directory that directs the user to the appropriate path to reach what they want based on the keyword they entered.
To understand the idea in a simple and easy way, imagine the internet world with all its websites as a group of stations, and Google, for example, as a search engine that constantly sends its robots to explore these stations and learn what each station contains.
It learns what new stations or content have been added to each station, and what has been removed or updated.
Then, it draws a complete map through its database that includes every station and what it contains inside.
When you, as a user, tell it that you want to go to a specific station, or even tell it exactly what you are looking for, it will guide you through its map with the paths (links) you need to follow to get to the station you want.
It will also provide you with the internal path within that station to get exactly what you need (the specific page that answers your query).
How Does Google Rank Search Results?
We explained that the role of search engines is to guide users to the paths that answer their queries.
Search engines perform this task through three main operations: crawling, indexing, and providing results.
But the question here is, how does Google rank these search results?
Google does not announce any factors of its algorithms, and webmasters want to know these factors in order to rank higher.
Therefore, alternative methods must be used to better understand these factors. One of the most important methods is studies and statistics that try to predict Google’s future algorithm behavior by studying its previous actions.
When someone enters a search term in the Google search box and hits the search button, the search engine program filters its database and ranks it based on:
- Backlinks
Backlinks still play an important role in improving search rankings.
Studies have shown that not only the number of links determines the ranking, but also the number of domains containing backlinks to the site.
Additionally, the authority of these domains plays a role.
“The number and quality of backlinks still significantly influence search ranking.”
- Content quality is also one of the most important factors affecting ranking.
- Another result of studies shows that sites using HTTPS have a higher rank, but the study concluded that the impact of HTTPS was less than expected.
- Relevance
Of course, the results shown when entering a search term should be relevant to exactly what the user wants.
In the past, the concept of relevance was limited to matching the search terms with the words on the web page.
But now, after the huge technological and technical advancements that search engines, especially Google, have witnessed, relevance has another dimension.
There are now smart factors that contribute to shaping the concept of relevance between the query and the search results.
Some of these factors include:
RankBrain
This is the name given by Google to a new system based on artificial intelligence or machine learning technology. Google announced the application of this technology in October 2015.
Two years earlier, in 2013, it was revealed that Google receives 15% of search terms daily that it has never encountered before. This is a large percentage and represents a problem for Google.
RankBrain’s function is to help provide web pages that are relevant to these search terms.
This is achieved by trying to understand new, long, and ambiguous search phrases and linking them to other search terms that may appear different but are related in some way.
RankBrain also measures the visitor’s experience with the results of these new search terms.
Ultimately, RankBrain technology, through its algorithms, teaches itself to provide more relevant search results, even when it encounters a new search phrase for the first time.
- Synonym System
Google’s search engine has an intelligent and effective system for understanding synonyms between words.
Thanks to this system, Google is now able to provide more relevant results to the user by understanding what the user means, regardless of the vocabulary used, and then providing results that serve the meaning, not just the vocabulary.
This is extremely important for both users and website owners.
On one hand, it enables users to reach more relevant results when using local languages and colloquial terms.
On the other hand, it gives website owners the opportunity to have their sites appear in search results for a more diverse set of search terms.
There is also a popular term in the SEO community related to this concept, called Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI), which means indexing the meaning of words.
- Quality
The second essential criterion used by search engines to rank results is the element of quality.
After determining the most relevant results for the search engine user, the quality criterion determines the correct ranking of these results.
There is no doubt that the primary goal of search engines is user satisfaction.
And of course, the quality element contributes significantly to shaping user satisfaction.
Since we are talking about Google specifically, the popularity of the web page and the trust it enjoys from the site contribute significantly to the quality concept.
Therefore, in the SEO community, there are many articles discussing concepts like Authority and Trustworthy.
And how these elements are crucial in determining search rankings on Google.
From Google’s perspective, the more popular and trusted a web page is with the audience, and the more it belongs to a reputable and influential site, the more naturally that page is considered higher quality. A perspective that is understandable, but!
The matter is not this simple, as there are more complex and sophisticated algorithms that Google uses to rank search results.
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