<B>Search Engines 101 - Search Engines Explained</B>
<B>What Are Search Engines?</B>
A search engine is a database system designed to index and
categorize internet addresses, otherwise known as URLs (for
example, http://www.submittoday.com).
There are four basic types of search engines:
<B>Automatic:</B> These search engines are based on information
that is collected, sorted and analyzed by software programs,
commonly referred to as "robots", "spiders", or "crawlers".
These spiders crawl through web pages collecting information
which is then analyzed and categorized into an "index". When you
conduct a search using one of these search engines, you are
really searching the index. The results of the search will
depend on the contents of that index and its relevancy to your
query.
<B>Directories:</B> A directory is a searchable subject guide of
Web sites that have been reviewed and compiled by human editors.
These editors decide which sites to list, and, in which
categories.
<B>Meta:</B> Meta search engines use automated technology to
gather information from a spider and then deliver a summary of
that information as the results of a search to the end user.
<B>Pay-per-click (PPC):</B> A search engine that determines
ranking according to the dollar amount you pay for each click
from that search engine to your site. Examples of PPC search
engines are Overture.com and FindWhat.com. The highest ranking
goes to the highest bidder.
There are a few downfalls you should know about using PPCs:
1. The use of PPC search engines as part of your search engine
optimization process will not improve your search engine
positioning in the regular editorial search results. Instead,
they will most always appear in a "Sponsored" or "Featured" area
located at the top or side of the regular search page results.
Even though your paid listing will appear at the top of the
search page, many users will not click on paid listings because
they look at it as an advertisement. In the past, people used to
always click on banner ads, but now they are seen more of as a
nuisance. Similarly, the same thing is happening with PPC
listings. Also, PPC listings are not always as relevant to a
query as the editorial search results.
2. If your site is not effectively search engine optimized
before you begin to submit it to a PPC, it will still be poorly
advertised afterwards. The optimization of your Web site is
critical to the success of your rankings.
3. When you stop paying for a PPC submission, your listing
disappears and so does the traffic.
PPCs can be an effective short-term solution for gaining
exposure and driving immediate traffic to your Web site while
you wait for full indexing, but it can become expensive if you
use it as a long-term solution.
<B>How Do Search Engines Work?:</B>
Search engines compile their databases with the aid of spiders
(a.k.a. robots). These search engine spiders crawl the Internet
from link to link, identifying Web pages. Once search engine
spiders find a Web site, they index the content on those pages,
making the URLs available to Internet users. In turn, owners of
Web sites submit their URLs to search engines for crawling and,
ultimately, inclusion in their databases. This is known as
search engine submission.
When you use search engines to find something on the Internet,
you're basically asking the search engine to scan its database
and match your keywords and phrases with the content of the URLs
they have on file at that time. Spiders regularly return to the
URLs they index to look for changes. When changes occur, the
index is updated to reflect the new information.
<B>What Are The Pros And Cons Of Search Engines?</B>
<B>Pro:</B> With the vast wealth of information available on the
Internet, search engines are the most effective and efficient
way to find information based on your specific search requests.
<B>Con:</B> Because search engines index mass quantities of
data, you are likely to get irrelevant responses to your search
requests.
<B>Are Search Engines All The Same?</B>
Search results vary from search engine to search engine in terms
of size, speed and content. The results will also vary based on
the ranking criteria the search engines use. If you aren't
getting the results you need, try a different search engine.
While the results may not be wildly different, you may get a few
search results from one search engine that you didn't from
another.
<B>How Do Search Engines Rank Web Pages?</B>
When ranking Web pages, search engines follow specific criteria,
which may vary from one search engine to another. Naturally,
they want to generate the most popular (or relevant) pages at
the top of their list. Search engines will look at keywords and
phrases, content, HTML meta tags and link popularity -- just to
name a few -- to determine the value of the Web page.
About the author:
As Submit Today’s copywriter and editor, Kristy Meghreblian has
written online content for many successful companies, including
Monster.com. She has successfully combined her excellence in
journalism with the delicate art of keyword density as it
relates to search engine optimization. As a result, she has
helped many Submit Today clients achieve top ranking. Submit
Today is a leading search engine optimization, submission and
ranking company located in Naples, Florida.
