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How Google Search works

Google was officially launched in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin to market Google Search, which has become the most used web-based search engine. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, students at Stanford University in California, developed a search algorithm at first known as "BackRub" in 1996, with the help of Scott Hassan and Alan Steremberg.
It operates one of the largest search engines in the world and offers various online tools, such as email, cloud storage, mapping services, advertising platforms, and more. Here's a simplified explanation of how Google works:

1.Crawling: Google uses automated software known as "web crawlers" or "spiders" to discover and crawl web pages across the internet. These crawlers follow links from one webpage to another, continuously scanning and indexing new or updated content.

2.Indexing: Once a web page is crawled, Google's indexing system analyzes its content and stores relevant information in its index. This includes the page's title, meta tags, headings, text, images, and links. Google's index is like a massive database that organizes and categorizes web pages for faster retrieval.

3.Query Processing: When a user enters a search query into Google, the system processes the query to understand its intent and retrieve relevant results. Google employs various technologies, including natural language processing and machine learning, to interpret the query and determine the user's search intent.

4.Ranking Algorithms: Google's ranking algorithms evaluate the indexed web pages and determine their relevance and quality in relation to the search query. Google considers hundreds of ranking factors, such as keyword relevance, page quality, user experience, backlinks, and more, to rank the web pages. The goal is to provide the most relevant and useful results for the user's query.

5.Search Results: Google presents the search results on its search engine results page (SERP). The top-ranked results are typically considered the most relevant and authoritative based on the ranking algorithms. Google also includes additional features on the SERP, such as ads, featured snippets, knowledge panels, images, videos, and other specialized content, depending on the nature of the query.

6.Continuous Improvement: Google continually updates and refines its search algorithms to deliver better search results. They regularly introduce algorithm updates to address spam, improve the quality of search results, and adapt to changes in user behavior and technology.

7.User Feedback and Evaluation: Google takes user feedback seriously and uses it to refine its search results. Users can provide feedback on the quality and relevance of search results through features like "Did you find what you were looking for?" or by reporting issues directly to Google. This feedback helps Google identify areas for improvement and refine its algorithms further.

References:
wikipedia
stanford publication

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