Google Search is a powerful tool that many people use daily to find information in the vast amount of data available on the web. However, its inner workings are often a mystery. This guide will provide a clear and precise overview of each phase of Google Search, offering essential information that can help users and website owners better understand how this automated mechanism functions.
Introduction to Google Search
The Google Search system operates completely automatically, using sophisticated software programs known as "web crawlers" or "bots" to continuously explore the web for pages that can be added to its database. It is important to emphasize that most pages that appear in search results are not manually submitted to Google but are discovered and added automatically during the crawling process. This guide will explain each stage of the search process and its relevance to a website's visibility.
Key Considerations
Before delving into the mechanics of Google Search, it is essential to mention that Google does not accept payments for more frequent crawling of sites or to improve their position in search results. Any claims to the contrary are incorrect. Additionally, Google does not guarantee that a page will be crawled, indexed, or visible in search results, even if it meets its basic guidelines.
Phases of Google Search Functionality
Google Search operates in three main phases, although not all web pages go through all of them:
1. Crawling
The first stage of the process is "crawling." During this phase, Google uses its crawler program, known as Googlebot, to download text, images, and videos from the web pages it finds. Through a mechanism called "URL discovery," Google continually seeks new pages, either by visiting pages it already knows or by extracting links from them. Sitemap lists can also be provided to facilitate crawling.
Once Googlebot discovers a URL, it accesses it to determine its content. This bot is designed to decide which sites to visit, how often to crawl them, and how many pages to retrieve from each. It is important to note that, to avoid overloading the servers of websites, crawlers have parameters that allow them to adjust the crawling speed.
However, not all sites are crawled. Site owners can choose to block access to certain pages through directives in the robots.txt file, or some pages may require authentication to be accessible.
During crawling, Googlebot also interprets the content it finds. This includes rendering the page and executing JavaScript code with updated versions of the Chrome browser, which is crucial for detecting dynamically generated content.
2. Indexing
After crawling, Google proceeds with "indexing." This phase involves analyzing and organizing the content of the discovered pages, during which the text, images, videos, and their essential metadata, including elements like tags and "alt" attributes, are examined.
In the indexing process, it is determined whether a page is a duplicate of another and a "canonical" page is selected, meaning the one that will be displayed in search results. Canonical pages are grouped based on similar content, and the most representative one is chosen, while others are considered alternative versions.
The data collected during this process is crucial for Google to rank the page in future queries. This system also gathers signals about the content, such as language, geographic location, and usability, which are stored in Google's index, its vast database hosted on thousands of servers.
A key point about indexing is that a high percentage of the pages Google analyzes are not necessarily indexed. This can happen for various reasons, such as the quality of the content, indexing restrictions imposed by meta Robots rules, or a site design that hinders accessibility.
3. Publishing Search Results
The final phase is "publishing search results." In this stage, when a user makes a query, the system searches the index for pages that are relevant to that search and returns the results that Google considers most relevant and of the highest quality. This decision is based on a multitude of factors, such as the user's location, language, and the device they are using.
For example, a user located in Barcelona searching for "bicycle repair workshops" will obtain different results than a user located in Hong Kong making the same search. Depending on the query, the presentation of the results also varies. In the case of a search for "bicycle repair workshops," it is likely that local results will be displayed, while searching for "modern bicycle" will show more visual results.
It is important to mention that, although Google Search Console indicates that a page is indexed, this does not guarantee it will appear in search results. Reasons may include that the content of the page is irrelevant to user searches or that its quality is insufficient.
Conclusions
Understanding how Google Search works is crucial for both users and website owners who want to improve their visibility. Knowing the stages of crawling, indexing, and publishing results can help address and resolve potential issues, as well as optimize presence on the platform.
To further explore the topic of optimization and other aspects of the digital world, readers are invited to explore more content on this blog.
