The internet search engine is used by internet users every day. It is a useful tool for obtaining information on almost any topic. The advantage of modern search engines is efficiency, comprehensiveness and usability.

Internet search engine – definition

By definition, an Internet search engine is a computer program available on the Internet that is used to find information by users. As a rule, such software is free, so it is available to anyone who has an Internet connection. A web search engine available on computers and smartphones allows you to obtain data from various sites. The database of such software very often also includes maps, films and pictures.

Most often, when users refer to a web search engine, they mean Google.com. However, please note that this is not the only software available on the market. The most popular tools also includeBing, Yahoo !, Baidu, Yandex, and DuckDuckGo. Worldwide, the largest segment of the market is Google (92%). Also in Poland, this search engine is most often used by users (96%).

What is an Internet search engine

Are you wondering what an Internet search engine is in practice? How does it work and why does it display the results the way it is? To explain this issue, it is worth getting acquainted with the way the most popular search engine, i.e. Google.com, works. There are many websites all over the internet – over 1.7 billion sites are estimated to be in 2022. All of them contain some information that may be of value to users. Some present them as text, others post videos or graphics. The idea behind search engines is to match the search results to the user’s intentions. Therefore, the Internet user, after entering a query in a program such as Google.com, receives as part of the answer a set of websites which, according to the search engine’s algorithm, will be the answer to the question asked. In such a situation, one important question arises – is every page displayed on Google equally valuable? Of course not. That is why Google uses an algorithm that is designed to display the websites that are the most valuable in terms of a specific query in the highest positions.

You can influence the visibility of the page on Google. This is the processof website positioning(SEO). It is necessary to optimize the site, create valuable content and acquire external links, which are treated by the search engine algorithm as some kind of “recommendation”. Then the Google algorithm begins to better evaluate the website, placing the pages of a givendomainin higher positions. However, the content of such a website must answer a user-generated question.

Types of search engines

There are several types of search engines. Some are universal, while others search for specific information or a specific type of asset (such as an image, video, or text). The most popular of them are:

• Universal:the basic type of search engine that represents a set of web pages responding to user-generated queries Such software can also present images, suggest videos, or display graphs. For example, Google.com, Bing.com, and Yahoo.com.
• Maps:a search engine for places and roads. At the user’s request, the software displays a map and directions. Example: Google Maps.
• Images:a search engine for finding images. It also allows you to search for files using the transferred image. Example: Google Graphics.
• Movies:a search engine for finding movies. It allows you to find a video on the internet based on key phrases. Example: Google Videos.
• Products:a system for searching for products that can be ordered online. A useful solution fore-commercestores that want to offer their goods to customers. Example: Google Shopping.
• Scientific and educationalmaterials—a search engine for materials created by experts. The database contains books, scientific and research works, and articles. Example: Google Scholar.
• News-a search engine for the latest news from the world. A useful tool for obtaining information on almost any topic that is popular in the media. Example: Google News.
• Flights:a search system that collects flights from different companies in one place. Example: Google Flights.
• Finance-charts, financial analysis, current and historical data on companies, raw materials, and currencies. Example: Google Finance.

Of course, the examples of internet search engines presented are not enough. We can also distinguish their other types. Individual programs, such as Google Yandex, Yahoo, or Bing, are systematically developed and improved, so from time to time they offer new functions.