Glossary of terms

Search Engine

A search engine is a web service designed to help users find information on the internet in response to their queries. The most widely used search engine is Google Search, often referred to simply as “Google.”

Google Search is so dominant that the term “to google” has become synonymous with conducting an internet search. Some large websites, such as YouTube, also have search functionality specific to their content (like videos and channels) that can be considered a type of search engine. Browsers and search engines aren’t the same. A search engine is a website like any other.

The confusion arises because browsers let you enter either a URL or a search query into the address bar. When you put something in the address bar, the browser figures out whether it’s a URL or a search query. If it’s a URL, the browser goes to that webpage directly, and if it’s a search query, the browser sends you to a search engine’s site with that query already filled in.

Search engines continuously “crawl” and “index” the web by using software to read web pages and catalog the information they find, following links to other pages to repeat the process. This allows them to organize vast amounts of information into an index.

When a user enters a query, the search engine consults its index to quickly return a list of URLs where it found relevant information during its crawling process. Additionally, advanced search engines attempt to provide concise answers for certain queries, displaying them prominently above the search results. For example, a search for “capital of France” might display a box with the answer “Paris” at the top of the search results. Also, search engine companies can see what you’re searching for, and which results you click on. Some of them use this information to personalize search results to you, showing you results that they think you’ll be more interested in. Some use this information to target ads.

Companies use search engine optimization (SEO) – the practice of using keywords and other techniques to ensure a company’s website ranks high in search engine results (and therefore gets high volumes of visitor traffic). It is a form of online marketing.

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