How does the Google search engine work

The first step is to identify which pages are on the web. There is no register that centralizes them. Google must therefore constantly search for the new pages and add them to the list of known pages. This process is called “URL detection”. The known pages are those in which Google has already accessed. Other pages are discovered when we follow a link from a page known to a new page (for example, a hub page, such as a category page, links to a new blog article) or when you send a list of pages (sitemap) to explore.

Detailed Google search guide

Google search is a fully automated search engine that uses software called exploration robots to regularly explore the web and search for the pages to include in the index. Most of the sites that appear in our results have not been sent manually, but have been automatically detected and added by our robots when they explore the web. This document describes the operation of the search for your website. This basic knowledge can help you solve exploration problems, index your pages and optimize the display of your site in Google search.

You want less technical concepts ? Consult our site How does Google search work to understand its operation.

Some remarks before starting

Before studying in detail the operation of Google research, note that we do not accept any payment to explore a site more frequently or improve its classification. Do not believe the people who would tell you the opposite.

Google does not guarantee that your page will be explored, indexed or broadcast, even if it respects the essentials of Google research.

Presentation of the three steps of Google research

Google research works in three steps: not all pages succeed.

1. Exploration : Google downloads texts, images and videos from pages detected on the Internet through automated programs called exploration robots.
2. Indexing : Google analyzes the text, images and video files on the page, then stores information in the Google index, which is a large database.
3. Dissemination of search results : When a user searches on Google, we display relevant information in relation to their request.

Exploration

The first step is to identify which pages are on the web. There is no register that centralizes them. Google must therefore constantly search for the new pages and add them to the list of known pages. This process is called “URL detection”. The known pages are those in which Google has already accessed. Other pages are discovered when we follow a link from a page known to a new page (for example, a hub page, such as a category page, links to a new blog article) or when you send a list of pages (sitemap) to explore.

When Google discovers the URL of a page, he can consult it (or explore it) to find out more. We use an impressive number of computers to explore billions of web pages. The program responsible for exploration is called Googlebot (also designated by the terms “robot” or “exploration robot”, or even “spider” or “bot” in English). Googlebot uses an exploration process based on algorithms to determine which sites explore, the frequency of exploration and the number of pages to extract from each site. Google exploration robots are also programmed to avoid exploring them too quickly to avoid overloading them. This mechanism is based on site responses (for example, HTTP 500 errors mean “slow”) and on the parameters in the Search Console. >.

However, Googlebot does not explore all the pages. Some pages can be made unavailable for exploration by the owner of the site, while other pages can be inaccessible without connecting to the site.

During exploration, Google displays the page and performs the JavaScript code detected using a recent version of Chrome, in the same way that your browser displays the pages you consult. The rendering is important, because websites often rely on JavaScript to display the content of a page. Without the rendering, it is possible that Google does not see the content.

Exploration depends on the access of the Google exploration robot to the site. Here are some common problems linked to Googlebot’s access to sites:

• Problems related to site management by the server
• Network problems
• Rules concerning the robots file.TXT preventing Googlebot’s access to the page

Indexing

Once we find a page, we try to determine what it is about. This step is called indexing. It includes the processing and analysis of the textual content, the beacons and attributes of key content, such as the elements and attributes ALT., images, videos and other elements.

During the indexing process, Google determines whether a page is a duplicate of another page on the internet or as canonical url. The canonical page is the page that can be displayed among the search results. To select the canonical version, we start by grouping (also called a clustering) the pages found on the internet and offering similar content, then we select the most representative of the group. The other pages of the group are alternative versions which can be broadcast in different contexts, for example if the user searches from a mobile device or search for a very specific page of this cluster.

Google also collects signals concerning the canonical page and its content, which can be used during the next step, where we broadcast the page in the search results. Some signals include the language language, the country where content is located on the site, the ease of use of the page, etc.

The information collected concerning the canonical page and its cluster can be stored in the Google index, a large database hosted on thousands of computers. Indexing is not guaranteed. All the pages Google treats are not indexed.

Indexing also depends on the content of the page and its metadata. Here are some common indexing problems:

• The content of the page is of low quality
• Meta Robots rules prohibit indexing
• Website design makes indexing difficult

Treatment of search results

We do not accept any payment to improve the classification of a page. This process is based exclusively on Google algorithm. Find out more about the announcements broadcast in Google search

When a user enters a request, our computers are looking for the corresponding pages in the index and refer the results that we believe to be the most qualitative and the most relevant with respect to the user’s request. Relevance is determined by an algorithm which is based on hundreds of factors and which may include information such as the geographic area of ​​the Internet user, their language or the device it uses (computer or telephone). For example, the research “bicycle repair workshop” does not generate the same results depending on whether the user is in Paris or Hong Kong.

The display options in the search results that appear on the search results page also change according to the user’s request. For example, if you are looking for “bicycle repair workshop”, you will probably get nearby results and no image result. On the other hand, “modern bicycle” research is more likely to display image results, but not search results nearby. You can explore the most common user interface elements of the Google web in our gallery of visual elements.

It is possible that a page is indexed in the Search Console, but that it is not displayed in the search results. This may be due to the following reasons:

• The content of the page is not relevant to user requests
• The content is of low quality
• Meta Robots rules prevent dissemination

Although this guide explains the operation of Google research, we are constantly striving to improve our algorithms. You can follow these modifications by following the Google Search Central blog.

Comment

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Last update on 2023/07/31 (UTC).

How does the Google search engine work ?

5.5 billion: this is the number of requests made per day on the famous Google search engine. We all use it, and every day ! It is a fact. But do you really know how the Google search engine works ?

Online visibility has become a major issue, with a priority objective for many companies: better Google SEO. A good SEO Google considerably increases the number of visits to a website. Indeed, the first page of results of Google alone captures 95 % of clicks linked to a search. The following pages total only 5 % of traffic. To improve its positioning, it is essential to understand how a search engine works like google. We explain the fundamentals to you, the basic rules of SEO optimization and why a global web strategy is essential.

The functioning of Google: what we know

• All the words contained on the page, their context and their position: Google use these elements to determine the page relevance relative to Words used in research.
• Number of links pointing to this page : a large number of links indicates to Google that it is a reference page.
• THE Text of the pages pointing to this page : the content of the pages which refer to the page also influences the evaluation of relevance.

Optimize its SEO: the basic rules

Keywords

Finding the right keywords is important, then think of the relevance and recurrence of keywords. The more the keyword, the more the page will be considered by Google as relevant for this word. If the keyword is placed in the title or at the very beginning of the page, it will also be taken into account. Also remember to use synonyms of this word. It is more difficult toOptimizing SEO For short and generic keywords. Long-used words and longer keyword combinations can help you generate traffic. This is called the long dragged.

The links

The links pointing to your page help boost your Google SEO. Work on your Internal and external links (netlinking). The quality of the pages from which the links come is decisive (Rank page). The more the page that points to your page is considered to be a reference page, The more important the impact on your SEO will be.

Nevertheless, you must have in mind that Google is intelligent and capable of detecting too gross SEO strategies, such as keyword jam. Google seeks above all to offer relevant content to its users and provide them with research results that meet their expectations. As such, Google is configured to favor quality content.

A global web strategy: provide results

If Google plays an important role in Online strategies, It is not an end in itself. Your content must above all meet the needs of your users and highlight your value proposal. It’s not about writing for Google, butwrite for your users Taking Google into account.

A global web strategy is essential to achieve your goals. This strategy must place your user at the heart of the approach. Take into account the evolution of uses. More and more users are “mobile first” and some, like millennials, “mobile only”. Your site must be responsive And Optimized for mobiles. Google also indexes the mobile version of the pages in priority. Stay in standby on innovations and adopt new formats to stand out, such as video, snippets or zero position.

So how a search engine works like google ! To be better referenced by the latter, work your SEO strategy, Your keywords and netlinking. Do not hesitate to adopt a process of Test and Learn, by checking the results obtained and adjusting your strategy if necessary. Always create content that makes sense and thoughts for your users in order to provide results. This is indeed how you will boost your Online visibility.