by Ruth Belena

Created on: July 07, 2009

You may wonder sometime why your search engine has generated irrelevant results that do not seem to match the words you typed into the search box, or why your search results do not always appear to be related to what you had in mind. What you need to know about search engines is how these direct you to websites that are relevant to your search.

~ Organic Search Results

The exact words you type in you search box will be matched with the same words, and similar keywords, used in web content. Keywords are contained within the text on a website, but can also be placed in tags, page titles, domain names and the url of an individual page.

A keyword is a word, or a short phrase, chosen by a web writer or site owner to appear several times on a web page. Whenever the same word, or exact same phrase, appears several times on a web page, this shows the page may be useful to users who search for that specific keyword.

There is such a thing as keyword stuffing, when someone stuffs too many keywords onto a page for the purpose of search engine optimization. However, a search engines can usually detect when someone is trying to trick it by repeatedly using a keyword word. This can get the site blacklisted from some search engines when it is detected.

The highest ranking links in search results are busy sites with a lot of updated content, and with web pages linked from many other sites.

~ Spiders and Sitemaps

Spiders are bots that searches the worldwide web, collecting data and copying text from websites. This is then stored in a search engine database. When keywords are fed into a search dialogue box, a spider checks all the text and sends another bot to bring up the relevant link with a short extract from the web content, showing keywords that match the search.

A sitemap ensures that search engines spiders view all the pages of a site. It can serve as a directory for a single webpage, or for a complete website. A sitemap will show every link to all the documents and files within a website. These links are organized into a list to show how information can be accessed on the site. A sitemap fits into an outline or framework, and if you view one it looks similar to a table of contents you might find in a book.

A sitemap is a useful tool for a website owner in search engine optimization. A site owner can set up a sitemap so search engine spiders are directed to different parts of a site. A well organized site map guides a spider towards the information it needs, and that will match certain keywords used in a search.

~ Sponsored Search Results

Any online business can pay to be listed at the top search results, to reach potential customers searching for the type of product or services the business can provide. Usually paid results are clearly marked as sponsored links, but not all search engines indicate clearly which links are paid for.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project undertook some research into how search engines are used. Results show that more than a third of users do not know how paid search differs from organic search, even in search results from Yahoo and Google, which are clearly marked.

Whether you use search engines to find useful websites, or if you have your own website you want to appear high in search results, what you need to know about search engines work is how they can be used to your advantage.

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