How Search Engines Work
Understand how search engines crawl, index, and rank content — and why SEO starts with visibility.
1) Crawling
Search engines use automated bots (crawlers) to discover pages by following links. Help them out with a clean internal link structure, an up-to-date XML sitemap, and by avoiding blocked pages in robots.txt unless you really mean it.
2) Indexing
After crawling, pages are parsed and stored in the search engine’s index — basically a huge library. Clear titles, headings, meta descriptions, and structured data make it easier for the index to understand your page’s purpose.
3) Ranking
For each query, algorithms evaluate hundreds of signals to decide which results are most relevant and helpful. Big themes: content quality, topical relevance, authority (links), and user experience (mobile-friendly, fast, easy to read).
4) User Intent
Keywords are clues; intent is the goal. Are users researching, comparing, or ready to buy? Align your format accordingly — guides and FAQs for informational queries, comparisons for “best vs”, and product pages for transactional intent.
5) SERP Features
Results pages include featured snippets, People Also Ask, local packs, images, and more. Use structured data, concise answers, and locally relevant info to qualify for these enhanced placements.
- Pick a keyword you care about and Google it.
- List the top 3 page types you see (guide, product, comparison…).
- Note the SERP features present (snippet, PAA, local pack). What would you create to win there?