SEARCH ENGINE ALGORITHM
What is the Search Engine Algorithm?
A search algorithm is defined as a math formula that takes a problem as input and gives a solution to the problem, usually after evaluating several possible solutions. A search engine algorithm uses keywords as an input problem, and returns relevant search results as a solution, matching these keywords to the results stored in its database. These keywords are determined by search engine spiders that analyze web page content and keyword relevance based on a web formula that will vary from one search engine to another.
Types of information about the factor in the algorithm
Some services collect information on inquiries that different users submit to search services, pages they later visit, and time spent on each page. This information is used to return pages of results that most users encounter after starting a query. For this technique to be successful, a large amount of data has to be collected for each query. Unfortunately, the possible set of queries that apply to this technique is small, and the method is open to spamming.
Another approach involves analyzing links between pages on the web on the assumption that the pages on the subject link are linked to each other, and the official pages point to other official pages. By analyzing how pages link to each other, an engine can both determine what the page is about and whether that page is considered relevant. Similarly, some search engine algorithms illustrate internal link navigation in the image. Search engine spiders follow internal weights to weigh how each page relates to the other and consider ease of navigation. If a spider moves on a dead-end page without a path, it can be weighed into the algorithm as a penalty.
The original search engine databases were all made up of human classified data. This is a fairly archaic approach, but there are still many directories that makeup search engine databases, like the Open Search Directory (also known as DMOZ), which is completely categorized by people. Some search engine data are still managed by humans, but spiders have collected information following algorithms.
One of the elements that a search engine scans for an algorithm is the frequency and location of the keyword on the web page. High-frequency ones are generally considered more relevant. This is known as keyword density. It is also embedded in some search engine algorithms where keywords are located on a page.
Like keywords and usage information, meta tag information has been misused. Many search engines do not factor in meta spam tags, which are caused by web spam. But some still do, and most look at the title and description. There are many other factors that the search engine algorithm reflects in calculating relevant results. Some use information such as how long the website has been on the Internet, and yet, others may encounter structural issues, errors, and more.