Search Engines Explained In Basic Terms
A search engine is a device that delivers contents to you as per your query from the World Wide Web. Search engine locates the suitable content from the plethora of information available on WWW in form of links, images and web pages. These engines are based on complex algorithms and sometimes even on human editing.
The search engines stores millions of pages of data available on the web and then uses different processes to deliver the most relevant data required by the users. Web crawling, indexing and searching are different processes that are used for the purpose and the order remains the same. The web crawler which is also known as the web spider works by scanning all the visible links. The web crawler, working as an automated web browser, examines all the pages and takes a decision on the indexing of the pages.
Descriptions and meta tags are analyzed to determine the type of webpage and its purpose. The meta tags are behind the scenes in the webpage and the viewer never sees them while browsing the page. The search engine uses them as a quick scan to get the idea or theme of the page and then the entire contents of the webpage will be evaluated to ensure the tags are correct and the page is valid.
Companies such as Google store all or part of the source web page, while AltaVista stores every page word for word. The information stored and indexed is known as the cache, it allows for instant updating and keeps the searching filtered with ease. An important factor for a successful search engine is its ability to provide active and useable information with minimal to no linkrot. The cache also saves an archive of a removed source that can later be access by the user after the site is updated.
Cache storage helps in keeping track of the updates on the web page and helps in filtering. The system of indexing used by Google makes sure that only the updated contents are made available to its users by doing away with linkrot. The cache has further usage in finding the updated content that has been removed. It helps in recovering the contents as an archives source. The search process starts with a user keying in some keyword or keyword phrase, related to the content they are looking for, in the search box of an engine. The engine then uses the process of indexing to produce web pages that suit the search phrase the most. The list will include a short description of the contents that each webpage has to offer.
All the search engines look to enhance their performance by ensuring that they deliver exactly what the user looks for. The problem is accentuated by the abundance of web pages containing the keyword or the keyword phrase. However, by using web crawlers and indexing, search engines manage to filter all the sites that are irrelevant to the search being made even if it has the keywords. They have created their own unique processes for examining different web pages and their contents.
Some search engines use page rankings to assist in their sifting. The search engines look at each individual page and determine through their meta tags, descriptions, keywords and content if the sites are relevant based on the key words in the search. The higher a site is ranked, the higher to the top of the results inventory it will be. The search engine sometimes uses other websites to help determine how highly a site should be ranked. If your page is linked to a higher page, it means that your page will have a higher rank in the search outcome.
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