What is a Search Engine?
What is a Search Engine?
The definition of a “search engine” is: a computer program that retrieves documents or files or data from a database or from a computer network. However we see a bit of different definition when it comes to the term: “web search engine” A web search engine is designed to search for information on the World Wide Web. The search results are usually presented in a list of results and are commonly called hits. The information may consist of web pages, images, information and other types of files. .A sophisticated script used to help organize the world’s information. A tool used to find information.
How do Search Engines Work?
They look at page layout and markup as well as linkage data to determine the relative importance and meaning of a document. Search is still in its infancy. The primary relevancy driver for most competitive keywords is link text.
The first thing search engines have to do in order to function is to make a local database of, basically, the Internet. Early search engines just indexed keywords and titles of pages, but contemporary search engines index all of the text on every page, as well as a great deal of other data about that page’s relation to other pages, and in some cases all or a portion of the media available on the page as well. Search engines need to index all of this information so that they can run searches on it efficiently, rather than having to run around the Internet every time a search query is sent.
Search engines create these databases by performing periodic crawls of the Internet. Early search engines often required pages to be submitted to them in order to crawl them, but now most pages are found by following links from other pages. What are called robots or spiders, computer programs built to index pages, flit from page to page, recording all of the data on the page, and following every link to new pages. Different search engines refresh their indexes at different intervals, depending on how many spiders they constantly have crawling, and how fast those spiders crawl, with some working their way through the Internet every day or two, and others only doing a periodic refresh every week or month.
As the spider goes through these pages, it records the words it finds on the pages. It makes notes about how many times each word appears, whether the words are weighted in certain ways, perhaps based on size, location, or HTML markup, and decides how relevant the words are based on the links that come in to the page, and on the general context of the page.
What is an SEO?
People who work on their own site or clients sites to boost their rankings in search engines. The google search formula is constantly changing. Therefore, Search Engine Optimization experts and consultants need to stay on top of changing trends and best practices.
How do SEOs Improve Site Rankings?
- Making dynamic pages spiderable by removing session IDs (and other problems).
- Linking to all pages on a site via text links (or image links) which search engine spiders can follow.
- Using specific keyword rich page titles, headers, subheaders, internal linking, and page copy.
- Building linking campaigns. Most links should use variations of the primarily keyword phrases in the link text.
What is the Most Effective SEO Techniques?
You should ensure that:
- your pages are indexed;
- your pages are well structured (with headers and subheaders etc.);
- you use descriptive page titles and other page text;
- and that you build many keyword rich inbound links.
Link building is usually the hardest and most powerful part of effective broad based SEO.
Why Search Engines like to use the Ethics Tag:
Pay per click advertising makes search engines billions of dollars of revenue each year. If you are spending money to manipulate their search results that means:
- the search result quality may lower;
- and (more importantly) someone other than the search engine is getting that money.
Is Search Engine Optimization Ethical?
Search engine optimization is just a means to help distribute your message. Nothing more, nothing less. Calling search engine optimization unethical is similar to calling creating a website or printing a newspaper unethical.
SEO can be used to push unethical ideas (racism, war, ignorance, sweat shop labor for companies like Nike, etc.). Just as frequently SEO can be used to push ethical ideas (equality, peace, education, safe and honest working conditions, etc.).
SEO itself should not normally be tied to any ethics guideline B/S. One can use SEO to push whatever ideas they like though.
Why do Search Engine Optimization Experts Use the Ethical Marketing Angle?
The SEO industry is often lacking in credibility. Its easier to use that as a branding angle than it is to be original and come up with your own.
Is Spamming Ethical?
Unsolicited email messages are spam because they shift the marketing time and cost from the marketer to the person opening their email. Because it steals your time (a portion of your life you will never reclaim) spam email is exceptionally bogus.
Can You Spam a Search Engine?
A search engine is not a person. A search engine is a tool. When their algorithm is messed up they push the blame on some “deviant” webmasters. The real solution of course is to make a better algorithm.
Webmasters who provide the content to fill the search results do not necessarily profit adequately for providing the content which allows search engines to deliver a ton of ads. Some of these same webmasters sell text links to other high margin or profitable sites. This is of course arbitrarily wrong because search engines want to be the middle man and want to profit from as many internet ad dollars as possible.
The Facts about SEO
- Being an honest business person is a good thing. Hinging your marketing on ethics is a blatant display of desperation.
- The goal of the SEO is to get the clients site to rank better for relevant search phrases to spread messages or create sales.
- No matter what the SEO, search engines, or clients say: the SEO should put the client ahead of the search engines.
- Certain methods are more risky than others and most sites do not need to be promoted via exceptionally risky methods.
- Some SEOs are too aggressive, many other SEOs take money and do little work for their pay. You should research before spending money on SEO.
- The ethical tag is a marketing idea used by:
- people who are new to SEO and rather ignorant; or
- unoriginal marketers who are severely lacking in creativity.
- Since a search engine is a tool its not something you can spam.
