With the current technological advancement, search engines have become our primary means and sources of answers, information, and solutions to problems and issues. Yet, one has to wonder what these processes actually look like? For all business people, marketers, and content creators, to enhance website visibility and traffic, it is very important to understand this process.
And in this guide, we will be discussing the prosaic aspects of how search engines work for Internet users, detailed step-by-step of how search engines crawl, index and rank web pages for the purpose of providing results.
1. Crawling – The First Step
The web itself is indexed by automated bots referred to as crawlers (or spiders) for search engines. These bots are consciously web surfing since they follow links to new or updated pages in the website.
Crawling begins with the robots.txt file that informs the crawler which part of the website is accessible to it. URLs that are labeled as “no-follow” or those that have been disallowed by robots.txt protocol are not processed since the crawler has to abide by a website owner’s requests.
Crawlers navigate beyond simply reading the page, they look at links on the page to gather even more URLs for the search. This is why site architecture plays a critical role in making sure all your web pages are crawlable or easily found.
2. Indexing – Organizing the Web
After crawlers start collecting information, the next phase which follows is the indexing phase. Indexing can be described as generating a huge table of content for web pages. They analyze the data which is gathered during the crawling and store them in the database to make it easily retrievable by the search engine.
At this stage, search engines try to find out what a page is all about by scanning its content, meta tags and keywords. The Web pages that are easily comprehensible due to proper and simpler layouts and correct choice of keywords are likely to feature high when related queries are entered.
Why Indexing Matters?
With no index, your page cannot be seen by the search engines, or should we say, it is invisible. Tools like Google Search Console should be checked periodically to verify that all significant pages are indexed.
3. Ranking – The Key to Visibility
As soon as you enter a sequence of characters in the search bar, the ranking process starts. This search engine looks through its list of cataloged pages in order to find relevant, high quality, and authoritative pages to display to a user with a certain query. Here’s what search engines consider when ranking pages:
- Relevance: Is the content relevant to the search query applied?
- Quality: Is the content credible and well-written?
- Authority: Are there linking pages present on other well established web pages?
Search engine results are not randomly chosen, but rather they are the engines’ best attempt at delivering relevant content by using hundreds of ranking factors in transitions. Using certain keywords in your content, or creating a proper linking back to your site, will improve your ranking.
4. Handling Dynamic Content
It is common in most websites of the modern world to use JavaScript when developing interactive and dynamic content. Earlier, such content was problematic for search engines to index however, they can parse javascript now and even such dynamic pages are within their purview for crawling and Indexing.
Nevertheless, the sites that heavily rely on JavaScript can be difficult to optimize. Some of the things you can do include making your critical content server-side rendered and using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
5. Managing Crawl Budget
In larger sites the concept of crawl budget also plays an important role. Crawl budget means the number of pages that search engines decide to dedicate resources to crawl on your site within a particular period. Here’s what impacts crawl budget:
- Website Size: Crawling in larger websites consumes more resources as compared to smaller ones.
- Content Updates: The pages that are updated often, are crawled much more often.
- Website Performance: If a page or server takes a long time to load or there are server errors, then the rate of crawling can be less.
In order to get the most out of your crawl budget, focus on high value pages, identify and correct for 404’s and create unique content.
The Place of SEO in Search Engine Process
Search engines want to give the best quality to users by offering high quality results. Thus, understanding how search engines work allows for the proper alignment of your website to increase its visibility and rank. Some SEO Best Practices to Keep in Mind:
- Use descriptive meta tags and headings to clarify page content.
- Optimize your site’s structure for seamless crawling.
- Focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that meets user intent.
- Build authoritative backlinks to establish credibility.
Build authoritative backlinks to establish credibility.
The Bottom Line
Understanding how search engines work is the first step in creating a solid SEO strategy. By learning about crawling, indexing, and ranking, you can make smarter decisions to boost your site’s visibility and attract the right audience.
At SEO Inferno, we’re here to ignite your SEO journey. Follow us for more beginner-friendly guides, tips, and insights to master the art of search engine optimization. Ready to optimize your site? Start implementing these tips today and watch your rankings soar!
