What is search Engine & how it works ?....
A search engine is an online tool or software application that allows users to search for information on the internet. It helps users find relevant web pages, images, videos, documents, and other types of content based on their search queries.
The basic functioning of a search engine involves three primary steps:
Crawling: Search engines use automated programs called crawlers or spiders to explore the web and discover web pages. These crawlers start from a set of known web pages and follow links from one page to another, indexing the content they encounter along the way. The process of crawling involves continuously discovering new pages, revisiting existing ones, and updating the search engine's index of web pages.
Indexing: After crawling a web page, the search engine stores and organizes the information it collects in a large database known as an index. The index contains various details about each web page, such as its URL, title, meta tags, keywords, content, and links to other pages. By indexing the web pages, search engines can quickly retrieve relevant results when a user performs a search query.
Ranking and Retrieval: When a user submits a search query, the search engine retrieves relevant pages from its index. The search engine then employs complex algorithms to determine the order in which the retrieved pages should be presented to the user. These algorithms consider various factors, such as the relevance of the content, the popularity of the page, the quality of links pointing to the page, and the user's location and search history. The search engine ranks the pages based on these factors and displays them on the search engine results page (SERP).
Additionally, search engines often provide additional features, such as sponsored or paid listings, local search results, image and video search, news search, and more, to enhance the user experience and cater to specific types of content.
It's important to note that different search engines may employ variations in their algorithms and processes, which can result in varying search results. The most well-known search engine is Google, but there are several others, including Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, and Yandex, each with its own unique approach to crawling, indexing, and ranking web content.