Google is one of the most popular search engines in the world. However, there are still many people who don’t know how Google Search actually works.
Have you ever wondered what all that gibberish means on the left side of a Google Search? How do they know when to show you an ad? How do they actually know what your location is? What is the technology behind it? What if you want to find something but can’t remember the exact words? Google has a lot of cool tricks up its sleeve that make searching easier and faster than ever before. Let’s take a look.
Google’s 3-step process
Google has an algorithm that looks at billions of pages and connects them to create a giant index. The algorithm ranks the pages based on the words they contain, how often they appear, and who links to that page.
The following is Google’s three-step process:
1. Crawl: First, Google crawls the web and collects information about all of the pages it finds.
2. Rank: Next, Google looks at these pages and determines which ones are relevant to your search query by ranking them according to their relevance to your search terms.
3. Display: Finally, Google determines what order those pages should be displayed in by analyzing the rankings assigned to each page by its algorithm. The three most relevant results for your query will appear at the top of your screen or as a list beneath it.
How does it know where you are?
The first step in any Google Search is to input your location. This tells the search engine where you are and, therefore, what language and currency to use. If you’re not happy with the results and want to find something else, all you need to do is start overall that gibberish on the left side of the search will change.
The types of search results
Google gives you two types of search results.
- The first is a list of links to pages that are relevant to your search, or so-called “organic” results. You can also get “paid” or sponsored content in the form of an ad on the right side of the page. The paid content is labeled as “Ad” and it will have the image and name of who paid for it at the top.
- The second type of result is a list of articles that have been written about your search term, or “news.” These articles don’t come up as often, but they provide additional information and insight into what you’re searching for with links to original sources.
How do you find what you’re looking for?
Google Search works by showing users different search results based on the words they type. Let’s say you’re looking for a new recipe to try.
If you type in “new recipe,” Google Search will show you results that are related to what you typed in. However, if you type in “dinner recipes,” Google will show different results because the word “dinner” has more relevance to the query than “new.”
What if I can’t remember the exact words?
You may not know how to spell or remember all of the words, but don’t worry! There’s an easy way for Google to figure it out. If a word is unclear, all you have to do is put brackets around it, like this: [new]. Now when you search for new on Google, your results will include anything with those letters.
Quotes
“Google is an American multinational technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products that include online advertising technologies, search, cloud computing, software and hardware.”
Source: StatCounter Global Stats – Search Engine Market Share
“Google Search is a web search engine developed by Google Inc. As of February 2018, it is the most used search engine on the World Wide Web.”
Conclusion
Google search is an incredibly powerful tool. With a few simple words and a click of the mouse, you can find anything and everything you’re looking for with just a few clicks.
But what is it? How does it know what you’re looking for? And how can you find the information you need?
This post will answer all these questions and more, giving you a basic guideline to everything you need to know about Google Search.
