In this digital era where technology plays an increasingly significant role in our daily lives, searching for information on the internet has become a regular activity for everyone. No matter what answer we seek, we often rely on search tools like Search Engines to help us find the information we need quickly. Search Engines are essential tools in this age and are even more crucial for running an online business. If you understand how they work and apply them appropriately, you can effectively use Search Engines as a channel to increase revenue and expand your customer base. Cipher provides services to assist entrepreneurs with SEO, helping them get their websites ranked high in search results on various Search Engines.
Table of Contents
What is a Search Engine?
A Search Engine is a program or tool that helps search for information on the internet. It collects websites, content, images, videos, or various multimedia files from around the world to display in the form of search results pages that match the keywords entered by the user. It greatly saves time in searching for information. The most popular Search Engine used worldwide is Google, which is considered the number one Search Engine. There are others like Bing, Yahoo, and Baidu.
How Search Engines Work
Search Engines work in three main steps as follows:
- Crawling: A Crawler or Spider program is used to navigate through various website links to collect data and content into the Search Engine’s database.
- Indexing: The collected data is sorted, categorized, and checked for accuracy to make it easy to retrieve. When someone searches, the data will be fetched and displayed accurately and quickly.
- Ranking: Algorithms are used to analyze and rank websites by considering many factors such as content relevance to keywords, website quality, user experience, etc., to ensure the most accurate and useful search results.
What are Search Engine algorithms?
Search Engine algorithms are important mechanisms used to process and rank websites. They are constantly being developed and updated to help make search results more effective. Important Google algorithms to know include:
Panda
An algorithm that detects websites with low-quality content, duplicate content from other sites, or Keyword Stuffing – the deliberate and irrelevant insertion of keywords into the content – to improve the quality of search results.
Hummingbird
An algorithm that helps Search Engines better understand the meaning and intent of user searches rather than sticking to the literal keywords. This allows it to display more relevant search results even if the user misspells or uses incorrect terms.
Pigeon
An algorithm that focuses more on specific Local Search results to make it easier for local businesses to appear in search results. It takes into account factors such as the geographic location of the searcher, business information, and customer reviews.
Mobile Friendly Update
An algorithm that prioritizes websites that are mobile-friendly, responding to the increasing trend of people using Google on mobile devices. If a website does not support mobile display, it will negatively impact its ranking.
Types of Search Engines
Today, Search Engines come in many types and forms to support different uses. Some may focus on websites, while others specialize in images or videos. They can be broadly categorized into the following main types:
Search Engines by data type
Data on the internet comes in many forms, so Search Engines are subdivided to suit each type of data as follows:
- Web Search Engine: Used to search for websites and web pages.
- Image Search Engine: Used to search for images.
- Video Search Engine: Used to search for video clips.
- Local Search Engine: Searches for area-specific information such as businesses, places, and restaurants.
Search Engines by tool characteristics
Apart from categorizing by data type, Search Engines are also grouped according to their technology and operating mechanisms, including:
- Crawler-based Search Engine: Uses a Crawler program to continuously collect data from across the internet, then creates an index in its database, such as Google and Bing.
- Web Directory: Compiles a directory of websites by category to make them easier to find, such as Yahoo Directory.
- Meta Search Engine: Does not have its database but works with other Search Engines and collects search results from multiple sources to display in one place, such as DogPile and WebCrawler.
- Hybrid Search Engine: Combines the workings of Crawler-based and Web Directory together, such as MSN Search.
How are Search Engines useful for online marketing?
Search Engines are extremely important tools in online marketing today as they are the starting point consumers use to find information about various products and services before making a purchase decision. Search Engines are like a gateway to the online world that opens up opportunities for businesses to reach target groups effectively. The benefits of Search Engines for online marketing are as follows:
- Increase Visibility: When our website appears on the first pages of search results, it will make people see and recognize our brand more, increasing sales opportunities.
- Reach target audiences precisely: People who search using keywords related to our products are more likely to be interested in buying. Search Engines filter out customers who have a real chance of converting into sales.
- Save costs: Optimizing a website for SEO to rank high in searches is free, unlike paid advertising. This can greatly reduce marketing costs.
- Build credibility: Websites that rank at the top of Search Engines are mostly seen as credible because they demonstrate investment and attention to quality, which helps build a good image for the brand.
Search Engines and Online Marketing
There are two main forms of marketing on Search Engines – SEO and Google Ads, each with its advantages and disadvantages. They should be chosen appropriately based on the business goals and budget.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO is the process of optimizing a website to suit Search Engine algorithms to rank well in search results without any cost. It focuses on creating quality content that meets user needs and making the site search engine-friendly. SEO is a long-term investment that takes time to see results, but it can generate sustainable organic traffic.
Google Ads
Google Ads involves buying advertising from Google to display on the first page of search results when someone searches for specified keywords. The cost is per click (Pay-Per-Click). Google Ads can generate traffic quickly, with tools to precisely define target audiences, but it requires a fairly high budget, and results only last as long as the ads are running.
Top 6 most popular Search Engines worldwide
Although Google has dominated the Search Engine market for a long time, other interesting Search Engines are popular in each country, as follows:
1. Google
The world’s leading Search Engine with over 90% market share. Comes with a variety of features and services, including voice search, image search, maps, and videos, making it convenient to use. The algorithm is highly accurate and is the current standard for Search Engines.
2. Bing
Microsoft’s Search Engine is trying to gain market share from Google with a beautiful design, novel features, and specialized search capabilities in areas such as travel, food, and health. Currently has about 2-3% market share.
3. Yahoo
Although its popularity has greatly diminished compared to the past, Yahoo is still a well-known Search Engine with a fair market share, especially in the News, Finance, and Sports categories, where it has its content. Yahoo currently uses Bing’s search system combined with its own.
4. Yandex
The most popular Search Engine in Russia with over 60% market share in Russia. Comes with a Russian language interface and focuses on local content and media searches. It has now expanded to other countries in Eastern Europe as well.
5. DuckDuckGo
An alternative Search Engine for people who prioritize privacy, as it does not collect data or track users. Provides the same search results for everyone without personalizing results based on personal information. Has a simple, ad-free interface. Focuses on neutrality and freedom in information searching.
6. Baidu
China’s Search Engine giant with over 70% market share in China. Provides services only in China and supports only Chinese. Offers a variety of services similar to Google but focuses on content and services within China, such as music, TV series, and books.
Recommended techniques for using Google in online marketing
With its market leadership, many businesses place special importance on Google. If you want to use Google to boost your online business, here are some interesting techniques:
- Do thorough Keyword Research. Study how your target audience searches and then create content and optimize your website to match.
- Create quality content that is useful and meets user needs, because Google places great importance on content quality in its ranking.
- Make your website mobile-friendly, because nowadays most people use Google on mobile devices. If the website does not support mobile display, it will negatively affect the ranking.
- Build Backlinks from quality websites, because having links from other reputable sites is an important factor in Google’s ranking.
- Use Google Search Console, a free tool from Google that helps you check website status, optimize, and fix errors to make the site more Google-friendly.
- Advertise through Google Ads to get the website to appear on the first page in the ad slots. Suitable for businesses that want immediate results and have an advertising budget.
If you are looking for SEO professionals, why choose Cipher?
If you want your online business to grow far with the power of Search Engines, SEO is a must in this day and age. But effective SEO requires a lot of knowledge, experience, and expertise.
Cipher is an SEO company and online marketing firm with extensive experience in managing and developing systems for many leading national brands. We understand the needs and methods of professional online management in all forms and channels. With a quality and experienced team ready to consult with clients on planning and strategy to maximize benefits and make your business stay ahead of competitors in the online world, sustainably.
Summary
Search Engines are extremely important tools in the digital world, not only for finding information but also as an important channel to increase business opportunities through SEO to get websites ranked high in searches, as well as advertising on Search Engines to reach target audiences precisely. However, effective Search Engine marketing requires a lot of knowledge, expertise, and experience.
Cipher is ready to be a part of your online business success with SEO services by a professional team that will help your website appear on the first pages of Search Engines, creating sustainable growth for your business. If you are interested, you can contact us for consultation and use our services today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the popular Search Engines?
The most popular Search Engines currently include:
- Google – The world’s number 1 Search Engine with over 90% market share
- Bing – Microsoft’s Search Engine with about 2-3% market share
- Yahoo – Although its popularity has declined, it is still one of the top Search Engines
- Baidu – China’s Search Engine giant with over 70% share in China
What types of Search Engines are there?
Search Engines can be divided into many types according to their operating characteristics and data types. The main ones are:
- Crawler-based Search Engine – Uses a Crawler program to collect data and create an index
- Web Directory – Compiles a directory of websites by category
- Meta Search Engine – Collects search results from multiple Search Engines together
- And also divided by data type, such as Web Search, Image Search, Video Search, Local Search, etc.
What is a Web Browser Engine?
A Web Browser Engine is a program or component of a web browser that translates HTML and CSS into the web pages we see, such as Chrome using Blink, Firefox using Gecko, Safari using WebKit, etc. A Web Browser Engine is separate from a Search Engine. A Search Engine is responsible for finding websites, while a Web Browser Engine is responsible for displaying websites on the browser.
What are the steps to use a Search Engine?
Using a Search Engine has these simple steps:
- Go to the desired Search Engine website, such as www.google.com
- Enter the search term (Keyword) you want in the search box, then press Enter or the search button
- Wait for the Search Engine to process and display the Search Results Page
- Click to go to the desired website from the search results
- If the search results are not satisfactory, try changing the Keyword and searching again
