subject: Not For The Expert Seo - The Search Engine Basics [print this page] This is not the not your typical SEO article as I doubt any of our targeted readers know what the acronym stands for. Though, search engine knowledge is both interesting and essential. However, to become an expert, you have to learn the basics.
Here is a start:
People have theories which are very accurate as to how Google's search engine works. Nobody knows for sure, however the best of the best seemingly rank highly for different websites with different topics and in very competitive search industries.
Although Google now provides a variety of different technology tools, it is most famous for its search engine. Without search engines like Google, it would be almost impossible to find anything on the Internet; the web would be like a massive library with no cataloguing or system of organization. Like all search engines, Google has its own unique algorithm that it uses to generate search results. While we can understand the basics of how it works, the company keeps the specifics a secret in order to stay competitive and reduce the risk of the system being abused.
Some of what we do know about Google's algorithm is that is uses automated programs called spiders or crawlers to scan web pages and create keyword indexes. Google spiders follow any links they come across, thus moving from one site to the next to develop a more comprehensive map of the web. What sets Google apart is how it determines what order to place relevant links it finds on the search results page. Google's algorithm uses a trademarked system called PageRank that assigns each page it finds a relevancy score.
Here are some of the factors Google considers when assigning PageRank scores:
Location and Frequency of Keywords: A higher number of keywords results in a higher score for that particular keyword.
Established History: Since the web is growing so rapidly and people create new webpages all the time, Google takes into account how long a particular page has existed. Generally, the longer it has been up, the more highly it will be ranked.
Links: Google takes into account how many inbound links a webpage has - that is, how many other sites link to a particular page.
Links are the most important part of determining PageRank. Google uses inbound links much like a reference check. Links that point to your site signify that other people have found it useful or relevant. Obtaining these links is not easy, however. It takes a great amount of skill and knowledge about the web in order to make them work in your favor.
