Search engines are a cornerstone of the internet.
They help you find information, products, and services faster. But have you ever stopped to learn how search engines actually work?
Understanding how search engines operate is extremely helpful in getting more accurate results for your website. It also helps you, as a business, to market your products and services better using search engine optimization or SEO.
Here is what you need to understand about search engines in a nutshell.
Free SEO Certification Course from the HubSpot Academy
How Search Engines Work
Understanding how search engines work helps optimize your content and improve your online presence.
While many different aspects go into creating successful SEO campaigns, having an overarching knowledge of the basics will help you develop effective strategies for marketing your products and services online.
Using the information below you’ll be better equipped to understand the fundamentals of search engine optimization and be on your way to more SEO success.
Crawling
The first step in understanding how search engines work is understanding what crawling is. Crawling involves ‘crawlers’ or ‘spiders’ that scour through webpages and collect data on the available content. This data is then stored in the search engine database, which provides relevant results to those searching for specific terms or topics.
Indexing
A website is indexed after the crawlers have collected all of the information from it. Indexing involves taking the data and placing it into categories so that it’s easier for users to find what they’re looking for when searching. This works through algorithms. These are specific sets of instructions that index web pages based on their relevance to keywords and phrases entered by the user.
Relevancy Ranking
Relevancy ranking is perhaps one of the most critical aspects of how search engines work. This involves taking all the indexed results and ranking them in order of importance. The most relevant result is always displayed first. Relevancy is determined by the quality and quantity of content and keyword optimization.
Algorithm Updates
Search engine algorithms are constantly changing and updated to provide users with the best possible search results. Stay up-to-date on algorithm updates to ensure your website or business remains visible and competitive in the search engine rankings. Also, keep an eye on the news, as significant changes are often announced.
Paid Listings
Paid listings allow businesses and website owners to have their websites featured prominently at the top of search engine results. This is a great way to increase visibility and drive traffic to your website. But it can be quite costly, depending on your target market. One way to do this is using pay-per-click or PPC advertising through Google Ads or other similar platforms.
Free SEO Certification Course
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your website to increase visibility on popular search engines such as Google and Bing. In this free SEO Certification Course from the HubSpot Academy, you’ll learn all things SEO, including website optimization, link building, keyword research, and much more.