A Search Engine is an online tool that helps you find information on the internet easily. Search Engine is like a digital helper that connects you to the information you need from the internet in just a few seconds.
How It Work :-
- You type a word, question, or phrase into the search bar this is called a “search query”
- It shows you the most useful result on a page is called a Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
- You can learn about any topic, shop online, or look for local businesses.
- The search engine looks through millions of web pages.
- They save time by organizing and sorting information for you.
For Businesses:
- Companies use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to make their websites appear higher in search results.
- This helps businesses reach more customers.
How Search Engines Find Information:-
- Web Crawling:- Finding Information
- Search engines use robots called crawlers or spiders to explore websites on the internet.
- They collect information from websites, like text, images, and videos.
- Think of it as a robot scanning the internet to find all available information.
2. Indexing:- Storing Information
- After collecting the data, the search engine organizes and stores it in a database called an index.
- The index acts like a giant library where all the information is categorized.
3. Ranking (Algorithms):- Showing the Best Result
- The search engine shows the most useful, relevant, and trustworthy pages at the top of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
- When you type a query into the search bar, the search engine (Algorithms) looks through its index to find the best matches for your question.
For example:- If you search for “best pizza near me”
- The search engine’s crawler has already found and stored details about pizza places in your area.
- It checks its index for the most relevant results.
- It shows you a list of pizza places based on location, reviews, and quality.
In Shorts:-
- Crawling: The search engine finds information online.
- Indexing: It organizes and stores that information.
- Ranking: It shows the best answers to your search.
This process happens in seconds to give you fast and accurate results!
Type Of Search Engine:-
1. Crawler-Based Search Engines:-
- They use automated programs called crawlers or spiders to explore websites. The crawlers gather information, which is stored in a database (called an index).
- These are the most common search engines, like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
- Provide a wide range of results, including websites, images, videos, and news.
2. Human Powered Search Engines:-
- A person manually adds website details to the search engine’s database.
- These rely on humans to submit websites and organize them into categories.
- Limited results because it totally depends on human input.
3. Hybrid Search Engine:-
- These combine crawler-based and human-powered methods.
- They use crawlers to gather information but also allow humans to submit website details.
- Google and Yahoo are also part of a hybrid search engine model.
4. Specialized Search engines:-
- These focus on specific topics or types of content.
- They search only within a particular area, like jobs, Location, travel, or academic papers.
- Examples: Indeed for job searches and Google Scholar for academic papers.
5. Meta Search Engines:-
- These don’t have their database. Instead, they collect results from multiple search engines and combine them.
- DuckDuckGo, Dogpile, Zoo, and Yabado are also meta-search engines.
- Great for comparing results from different search engines.