If you’re looking to find something specific on the internet, different types of search engines can help you find it. The major search engines include Google, Bing, and Ask.
There has been a huge increase in internet usage recently because the search engines, namely Google, Bing, and Yahoo! are so easy to use.
With search engines being used daily, people are becoming increasingly dependent on them. Not only is it a quick and easy way to get the answer to their everyday queries, but also a highly convenient one. A search engine finds information for the user and then displays it on the results page.
To improve your website ranking in search engines, it is important to understand the basic criteria by which search engines index and retrieve documents.
Why are search engines important?
People are constantly searching for relevant information on Google, and there’s huge scope for businesses to attract visitors to their websites. Search engines follow guidelines and have algorithms for deciding what websites rank at the top of search results. Therefore, optimizing sites to rank well on Google is critical for reaching a wider audience.
Different types of search engines
Search engines are classified into the following categories according to how it works:
1. Crawler based search engines
Crawler-based search engines use a crawler or bot to crawl and index the new content. For example, Google, Yandex, and Bing create their data indexes automatically by using a piece of software to “crawl” or “spider” the web and then index what it finds to build the search base. It usually follows four basic steps before displaying sites in search results.
- Crawling
- Indexing
- Calculating relevancy
Crawling
Crawling is the process of visiting a website and following all links on the page to collect information about it. A piece of software called a crawler or spider searches the entire Internet.
Indexing
Indexing is the way search engines organize information before a search, so they can quickly respond to queries. Once a site is crawled, the search engine analyzes the page’s contents and saves that information in its index.
Calculating relevancy
There are many different algorithms for calculating relevancy. Each algorithm has weights assigned to various factors like keyword density, links, and meta tags. It is hard to predict when search engines will change their algorithms, so you must keep your site up-to-date to avoid dropping in rankings.
2. Human-powered directories
Directory sites that require people to input data are referred to as human-powered directories. This kind of directory is still popular today, mainly because humans create and maintain the data. Directories involve human editors who decide where a site is placed according to its category. Once the site has been submitted, it is manually reviewed and added to the appropriate category or rejected for listing.
Yahoo! Directory and DMOZ are both examples of human-powered directories.
3. Hybrid search engines
Hybrid Search Engines use crawler-based and manual indexing to list the sites in search results. Google is a primary crawler-based web search engine that utilizes human-powered directories as secondary mechanisms. Yahoo is also a hybrid search engine.
4. Meta search engines
Some search engines, such as Dogpile, use meta-information collected from other search engines and directories to display their results. These types of engines are referred to as meta-search engines.
5. Specialty search engines
Many niche search engines are available online, including Shopping, Local Search, Domain Name Search, Freeware & Shareware Software Search. These allow you to find what you’re looking for more easily.
Final thoughts
In the earlier days of the Internet, human-powered search engines were popular and important sources of information. However, technology has progressed very quickly over the years, and now we have automation & AI to help us find what we need. Though people used to rely on special-purpose search engines in small numbers, artificial or crawler-based search engines are the primary source of information at this point.
