Definition:
A search engine,also called a search engine,is a computer system designed to perform searches of files stored in a database through spiders or bots. When the search engine receives a query or query makes a query in the database offering the result on a results page. If there are several results, they are hierarchical according to their importance.
Given the enormous amount of information available on the Internet, search engines are an essential technology today for the operation of this network.
Types of Search Engines
- Web search engines: These engines crawl and return web pages that they consider most relevant to the query made. They use algorithms that evaluate the quality and relevance of the content.
- Image search engines: Specialize in crawling images online, presenting a mosaic of visual results that match the user’s search terms.
- Video search engines: They analyze and classify videos, displaying those that best match the user’s query. Their algorithm may consider factors such as video length, number of views and associated tags.
- File search engines: These engines focus on locating specific files based on their name, type or content.
How Search Engines Work
- Data indexing: Bots traverse the web continuously, gathering new information and updating existing information. This process is crucial to keep the database up to date.
- Data categorization: The collected information is organized and classified using advanced algorithms that allow for efficient and accurate categorization.
- Query processing: Upon receiving a query, the search engine performs a query in its database to find the most relevant information.
- Presentation of results: The results are presented in a hierarchical manner, showing first those that the algorithm considers most relevant to the user’s query.
Examples of search engines
Among the main search engines we can find the following:
- Google: created by Larry Page and Sergei Brin in 1996, it is considered the world’s largest search engine.
- Bing: owned by Microsoft, formerly known as Live Search, Windows Live Search and MSN Search.
- Yahoo: Currently uses the Bing engine in its searches.
- Baidu: the leading Chinese search engine, with more than 600 million users.
- Yandex: search engine for Russia and Russophone countries.
- DuckDuckGo: an alternative to search engines focused on ensuring the privacy of its users.