Let’s Understand How Search Engines Work in Simple Words

Search engines help people find answers on the internet. When you type something into Google, it shows you a list of websites. Even though this looks simple, a lot of things are happening in the background. We have to understand that search engines do not think like humans. They read and understand the websites and then arrange them in a rank based on certain parameters. Businesses need to understand how search engines work to improve their website’s performance and ranking. 

Search Engines Visit Websites First

Search engines use bots to read websites. These bots move from one page to another by following links. These bots will read the text, images and the page layout. If you can easily move from one page to another or the pages open properly, the bots of search engines can easily read them.  On the other hand, if a page is blocked or broken, these bots will not be able to read it. These bots try to understand what each page is about, and if they find your website clear and well organised, they will understand your page easily and show it at the top of the search results. 

Understanding What a Page Is About

Once the bots visit a page, the search engine tries to understand what it is talking about. It looks at each word, heading, title and image of your website.  If your content is simple, clear and easy to understand, search engines will understand it faster. But if the content is mixed up and confusing and cannot define the topic properly, then search engines will find it very difficult to understand such pages.    

Storing Pages for Later Use

Once the search engine understands a page, it saves it in its database. This helps it show the page later when someone searches for a similar topic. If a page is not saved, it will never appear in the results. That is why your content becomes very important. It should have a clear structure and should be readable. Otherwise, search engines will not save the page, and your content will not be shown in the search results.

Choosing Which Pages to Show

When a person searches for something online, the search engine will look into its database and find pages related to the search. It will compare all the pages related to the topic and choose the best ones. Pages that are clear, helpful and trustworthy are ranked higher in the search results.

Why Website Quality Matters

Search engines want users to be satisfied. If people click on a particular website and stay on the page for longer, it shows that the page is useful. But if the user leaves the page quickly, search engines think that the website is not helpful for the users. Search engines notice this behaviour and use it to decide which pages deserve better positions.

Finding Problems on a Website

Most of the websites are facing some kind of issue that stops search engines from reading them properly. These problems are hidden, so you will need a free SEO audit tool to find these issues easily. The SEO audit tool will do a detailed analysis of your website and show problems in detail, like missing pages, slow speed or unclear structure. Once you fix these issues, search engines will understand your website better, and your ranking in the search results will also improve. 

Improving Your Website Health

Website health means how well a website works overall.  If a website is user-friendly, has quality content and is trustworthy, search engines will easily understand your content and save it in their database. They will show your website at the top whenever users search for something that you offer. This means that your website's health is good. A free SEO audit tool helps you check your website’s health and figure out the areas of improvement.  

Checking Website Progress

Websites will not always remain static. You will add pages and also update the existing pages. The rules of search engines also change, and therefore it is important to regularly check website SEO to see if everything is working well or not. When you frequently check your website using a SEO audit tool, you can find the issues early. You can also fix them on time before they do much damage.

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Final Thoughts

Search engines work in simple steps. Their bots first visit each page of a website, read its content, text, images, and page layout, and if it understands it, then the page will be saved and stored. So when a person searches for something that is related to your website on a search engine, they will find your website ranking high in the search results. Therefore, it is important to check website SEO regularly so you can find out the issues in your website. If you understand how search engine works along with a timely analysis of your website, you can improve your rank and performance.