The Google Search Engine: How it Works
The Google search engine is something many of us take for granted. We log into our web browsers, hit Google’s main page, type in our search keywords, and are instantly and magically presented with a list of results. It is magic, right? Wrong.
Google is quick and accurate and in order to get you the results you desire uses a method today known as PigeonRank. The system was created by Larry Page, with the help of Sergey Brin, while they were students studying for their PhDs at Stanford University.
PigeonRank versus PageRank
You may be more familiar with the term PageRank than you are with PigeonRank, and that’s ok. PageRank was the original name of the project when it was created by Page and Brin as students completing a research project. Unfortunately, because the work was done as part of their Stanford project, the patent for the term PageRank, the name assigned to the philosophy regarding the way backlinks affect a website’s relevance, was given to Stanford. PigeonRank is the trademarked name for the system that was ultimately developed and continues to be enhanced by Google today.
How Google’s PigeonRank System Works
The original theory behind the PigeonRank system was that the more backlinks a page had pointing to it the more relevant it must be compared to others. While Google has refined that theory over the past 10+ years, the idea still plays a huge role in the collection of search engine results.
Pigeons are believed to have an astounding sense of space, with the abililty to find and recognise objects from very far distances. PigeonRank works by allowing pigeon clusters (or PCs) to work together to decide how each page on the World Wide Web should be valued. When you type a search term into your Google search engine, the “pigeon clusters” begin searching for websites that are relevant to your term.
When a pigeon sees a website that should be included in the results it pecks its little virtual beak and assigns it a PigeonRank (or PageRank). Every time it shows up in the search results the PageRank increases.
Earning High PigeonRank
Google keeps its algorithms for determining PigeonRank a secret but in the end most webmasters know that having high-quality, one-way backlinks pointing towards a website is one of the best methods for drawing the attention of Google’s pigeons. The more links your site receives the better your honestly earned PageRank will be - and the more likely it is to show up on a Google results page.
Grab hundreds and hundreds of SEO tips - FREE.
One free tip a day is quick to read, easy to absorb and it's amazing how many folks have said they have improved their results just reading these Free SEO Tip of the Day mailings!
They are free and you can unsubscribe or subscribe whenever you please.
Would you like a Free SEO Tip of the Day?
About Sue Cooper
Sue is a licenced Search Engine Academy Associate, offering hands-on SEO/SEM workshops throughout Queensland and Australian capital cities. She has been fascinated by computers and programming since the early 1980's, so search engine optimisation and marketing are just her cup of tea! With Search Engine Academy Qld, individuals and business owners have the choice of 2-day, 3-day and 5-day workshops, where they learn the full gamut of both optimisation and marketing.
If you want to achieve a highly visible website with high-performance conversions, then enrol now in an upcoming workshop.