How does Google search work and how can you get the most out of it?
To paraphrase a well-known RPG saying, "Before you start SEO , you need to know the search engine." So, how does Google search work , and does this quest have an ending?
There is only one leader – the Google search engine – how does it work?
The SEO specialist's workspace is the search engine. By default, this is the Google search engine in the selected language version, e.g., google.pl, google.de, google.co.uk. For the record, it's important to note that Google isn't the only search engine. Russian-speaking users often choose Yandex, Czechs have Sesame, and Baidu is extremely popular in China. Microsoft offers an alternative search engine in the form of Bing. Historically, in Poland, Google's competitors were the Onet and WP (Wirtualna Polska) search engines.
Google is the clear leader among search engines in Poland. Google.pl had almost 98% market share in May 2018. Next in the rankings is Bing with 1,26%. That's a knockout, I think! Globally, Google's share (taking into account various language variants, including national languages) was estimated at almost 81% in May 2018. Second place in the global search engine rankings belongs to China's Baidu with 10%. These results refer to traffic generated by computers. On mobile devices, Google is the global hegemon, capturing almost 92% of the market. Baidu is next in line with approximately 5,5% share.
Why does an SEO specialist need to know which search engine dominates a given market? Each search engine has its own unique characteristics and requires specific optimization. Knowing that our potential clients use more than one search engine, it's prudent to optimize a website for those with commercial potential. Therefore, in Poland, for example, Bing optimization or SEO services aren't particularly popular. However, if we intend to compete in the Russian market, signing an SEO agreement with Google and Yandex is absolutely the right decision. Over half of Russian internet users choose Yandex. Google has a "mere" 43% market share there (data from May 2018).
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Algorithm – the heart of the search engine
The performance of a given search engine is determined by its algorithm. It is the algorithm that determines the criteria used to create the "ranking list" of websites. In the case of Google, the algorithm creates over 200 parameters, and their full list is one of its most closely guarded secrets. Google's algorithm is not static. It periodically undergoes updates aimed at providing results that most closely match search engine users' queries. In practice, updates for SEO specialists require changes to optimization or linking. There's nothing extraordinary or frightening about this; it's simply an adaptation to changing conditions. Major algorithm changes have earned the names of cute animals like the penguin, panda, or hummingbird.
Algorithm updates may translate into changes, for example, in the evaluation of a given site's existing link profile or in criteria important for local SEO . Algorithm changes can also provide a "pardon" for websites affected by Google's algorithmic filter penalty.
Google search engine feeds on text
Google is a text-based search engine. Web crawlers learn about a website through the texts published on it. It's based on the content within a given website that web crawlers use to determine whether it matches the search query. What does this text-centric nature of web crawlers translate into in practice?
First, a website should contain as much content as possible. Of course, there's a saying that a picture is sometimes worth a thousand words, but Google's crawlers aren't convinced of its veracity. A website that relies on images and/or text embedded within graphics and uses them to communicate with visitors is rated lower than one that's saturated with text. In summary, Google favors websites that, among other things:
- contain larger sections of text – in the case of the home page, it is worth including text of at least 1000 characters including spaces, for most subpages it would be 750 characters; of course, it should be taken into account that not every page needs such amounts of content – it would be difficult to force it into, for example, the "contact" tab;
- to put it simply, the text posted on website it should be unique and not appear on any other website, portal, classifieds directory, etc. (this is a very general statement, the topic of duplicate content is very broad, as is the issue of dealing with this problem, there is no point in dwelling on it in this case so as not to lose the flow of the thread);
- Content on a website should be separated by subheadings; this is to avoid the effect of a monolithic text. Any variations in the form of headings, bold text sections or other forms of emphasis, the introduction of graphics, charts, links, etc. are welcomed by web crawlers;
- the text that appears on the website should be linguistically, spelling-wise and stylistically correct; it is also worth using terms that our potential customers use to search for the products or services we offer – after entering a query, web crawlers will not display a website that does not include this query in its content; it is also worth noting that Google crawlers can handle common spelling errors and there is absolutely no need to include a variant of a word with the incorrect spelling in the text on the website (which, by the way, would not make a particularly good impression on website visitors...);
- If possible, it is worth modifying the content on website – adding a new tab, description, additional information, etc. is a good idea, which causes the website to be indexed more often by Google web crawlers.
Indexing websites in Google search engine
For a website to be displayed when a specific search term is entered into the search engine, it must be included in the Google index. This is crucial for new websites, for example, which should have their robots.txt file and robots meta tag configured to be crawler-friendly and be submitted for indexing via Google Search Console. A page indexed by web crawlers is included in Google's search engine resources. It can also disappear from the search engine – this happens under specific circumstances, which we'll discuss in more detail below.
The website should have its meta robots settings and robots.txt file configured to allow crawlers to index the page. Checking the crawler's ability to index the page is one of the basic steps to diagnose why a given website is ranking so low (outside the top 100 results).
The simplest content of the robots.txt file that encourages web crawlers is:
User-agent: *
Allow: /
This file content assumes that web robots can index the entire content of the page, without any exclusions (which we can, of course, introduce according to our needs).
Examples of meta robots content that allows web crawlers to index your page:
Setting meta robots and completing the robots.txt file is somewhat optional. It's assumed that not having them will not prevent web crawlers from accessing your site. However, it's worth setting up such an "invitation" on your website, especially since it doesn't take much time. This ensures that web crawlers won't bypass your site.
Google Search – Does it have an “index of forbidden books”?
Not every website is included in a search engine's index. Here are some common reasons why a website might not be included in a search engine's index.
The first reason is the content of the meta robots and robots.txt files, which may contain content that prevents web crawlers from indexing the page. The solution is to change the content to allow indexing and then report the change through Google Search Console.
The second reason is a penalty from Google. In the context of SEO, we talk about websites penalized by Google (known as a filter or ban). Such a penalty can hinder or even prevent a website's SEO . The most serious offenses can result in the site being permanently removed from the search engine's index. In such a situation, the most sensible solution is to create a new website on a new domain.
The third relatively common reason for a website's absence from search results is a problem with its proper functioning. A website experiencing functional issues (the causes can range from hacking to simple hosting failure) may be excluded from search engine results until the underlying issue is resolved. Once the website has been repaired or restored, it's worth reporting the issue to Google via Google Search Console.
Using the Google Search Console tool isn't mandatory – even without it, web crawlers will notice the appearance of a new site or changes to an existing one. However, we know from experience that submitting changes for indexing via the Google Search Console can significantly speed up Google's crawlers' performance. This is crucial for SEO . A change implemented and indexed quickly often translates into a ranking increase for keywords the very next day. Of course, this shouldn't be considered a rule, but rather a lucky coincidence and a gift from Google.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- the dominance of the Google search engine in the market and the importance of adapting SEO activities,
- functioning of the Google search engine algorithm,
- content creation principles that increase the visibility of the site and improve its indexing,
- how to make your website visible on Google,
- reasons for the absence of a page in the Google index.
