Search Engine Indexing

What is a search engine index?

A database containing information collected from webpages by a search engine

What is indexing?

The process of collecting, sorting, and storing webpages in a search engine’s index

Why do search engines use indexes?

Searching an index is much faster than searching every webpage on the internet

What happens when a user enters a search query?

The search engine searches its index for relevant webpages

Why must search engine indexes be constantly updated?

To add new pages, remove deleted pages, and update broken links

What are spiders and crawlers?

Automated programs that travel across webpages collecting information

What do crawlers collect from webpages?

Page content, metadata, and all internal / external links between pages

What is the purpose of a search engine?

To help users quickly find information on the internet