search engine optimization

Understanding Web Search and How It Works

By now you understand the importance of search marketing, but how in the world does the technology work? In this book we won’t get into a deep technical discussion (since this isn’t a science book), but rather I will give you a broad understanding of the basics (and some more specialized areas) so that you can apply this knowledge in your online business. Now let’s begin this discussion with a basic definition of a search engine. A search engine is defined as an information retrieval system. In this book we limit our discussion to internet search engines, but there are search engines for desktops, mobile applications, intranets, and more. Think of a search engine as your personal electronic detective—you tell it what you’re looking for, and it finds the information that you’re seeking. Of course, the more information you provide, the more refined your results are. For example, if you searched for “Clinton” your search might return Clinton, CT; Bill Clinton; Hillary Clinton; book listings, blog posts relating to Clinton, or Oklahoma Clinton. However, a more specific search of “Clinton CT” would return the official homepage for the town, hotels in Clinton, and the Clinton News (Figure 2–1 on page 24). Chapter 2 U