First, a look at how it works. Search engines use automated
software programs that scrutinize the Web and develop their
informational databases. Statistics composed from each web page
are then added to the search engine index. After you enter a
question into a search engine site, your input is compared to
the search engine's index of all the web pages it has analyzed.
The best links are then returned to you as hits, ranked in order
with the best results listed first. This is based upon how
relevant they are to your query, and which sites rank highest by
visits and keyword saturation. Most search engines will look for
words and simple phrases. The more common a word is on a page,
compared with its rate of recurrence in the general language,
the more likely that page will be to appear among the search
results, and at what position.
Search engines are also making significant strides in an effort
to "comprehend" what is intended by the query words. For
instance, a good number of search engines now offer elective
spelling adjustment. If you type in a word, and it is possibly
misspelled, the engine will actually ask you if you meant to
spell it that way and offer alternatives. Some are even able to
search not simply for the words or phrases actually entered, but
they also search for different forms of the words (home, house,
residence, domicile, etc.)
This brings us to Google, the most often/easily used search
engine available today. There are many very significant reasons
for it's popularity, and it has definitely earned its place as
leader of the pack. It utilizes a simple interface, excellent
search options, and incredible visual tools to provide us with
everything we need for working, learning, or simply playing
games on the Internet.
Google also provides quite a few products that help individuals
and businesses, such as AdSense, YouTube, GoogleEarth, and many
more desktop and web search utilities.
One important key to why they do so well is because Google
assesses the importance of every web page using a variety of
techniques, together with its patented "PageRank" algorithm
which analyzes those sites that have been "voted" the best
sources of information by other pages across the Web. This
method actually improves itself, as the Web expands, as each new
site is another aspect of information and another vote to be
counted. It depends on the millions of people posting and
visiting links on websites to help establish which sites offer
the most valuable content.
The Google phenomenon originated when two young men, who had
nothing in common, except a desire to make finding information
on the Internet simpler, started the Google Empire. The idea was
born in 1995, and its earliest name was Backrub, because this
brand new search engine utilized the back links available for
finding web sites. After being turned away by a few of the major
players in the industry, the guys decided to make a go of it on
their own. With a little help from a friend, "Google" opened its
first door, a garage door, in 1998. By 1999, Google.com was
providing answers to over 10,000 search questions daily. The
company diversified and expanded greatly as the new millennium
started. The hiring of quite a few talented staff members, (who
had left stable jobs with well-established internet companies
like Yahoo) to join the Google team created a need for actual
office space and so the Googleplex became the company's
headquarters in 2003. Today, the corporation has offices around
the world.
There are a vast number of alternative search engines, and many
of them have been around a lot longer. In fact, there are quite
a few that are better suited for particular businesses due to
the fact that they are geared more toward specific needs that
they focus all of their efforts upon. Any type of profession or
hobby that you can name, each has a niche on the Internet.
Harnessing the resources available through Search Engine
Optimization helps to encourage the growth and expansion of
businesses that use the web.
Althaf Ahmed: Is an established professional
Internet Marketing and Business entrepreneur, having spent years
creating positive networking channels with various high-profile
online and offline agencies, corporations, and individuals. You
can catch him at http://www.halomark.biz for more info.
