- search engine
- search engine optimization
- search string
- search term
- server
- spamdexing
- spamming
- spider
- stop word
- submission
Go to the list of all search engine marketing definitions.
Definitions
- search engine
- See also directory.
- A search engine is a searchable online database of internet resources. It has several components: search engine software, spider software, an index (database), and a relevancy algorithm (rules for ranking). The search engine software consists of a server or a collection of servers dedicated to indexing Internet web pages, storing the results and returning lists of pages to match user queries. The spidering software constantly crawls the web collecting web page data for the index. The index is a database for storing the data. The relevancy algorithm determines how to rank queries. Examples of major search engines are Google, AOL, MSN and Lycos, etc.. Examples of major directories are Yahoo!, LookSmart and ODP. Bruemmer 01
- A search engine is a database system designed to index Internet addresses (URLs, Usenet, FTP, image locations, etc.). The typical search engine contains a special program often called a spider (also sometimes called a "bot" or "crawler"), the spider accepts a URL, it then goes to that website and retrieves a copy of the file found there. Sometime later, it the search engine will process that copy of the file, distilling it down to the bare essential data it needs for the data base. … the search engine makes the determination as to what data ends up in the database. In short, given a URL, an automated process occurs which results in your site being included into the index. Northern Webs 01
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Software that searches for data based on some criteria. Although search engines have been around for decades, they have been brought to the forefront since the World Wide Web exploded onto the scene. Every Web search site uses a search engine that it has either developed itself or has purchased from a third party. Search engines can differ dramatically in the way they find and index the material on the Web, and the way they search the indexes from the user's query.
The terms "search engine" and "Web search site" are used synonymously, although the former technically describes the software and methodolgy used, while the latter refers to the site itself. See web search sites
.
The
Computer Language Company - search engine
optimization
- Search engine optimization is the process of making website pages accessible based on the indexing and ranking by search engines of a page's textual content. Searching is based on keywords and phrases and optimization identifies appropriate ones based on their relevance, popularity and competition and employs a variety of metadata, page design and site organization techniques to improve the ranking of pages in search reports.
- The process of choosing targeted keyword phrases
related to a site, and ensuring that the site places well when those keyword
phrases are part of a Web search.
Optimization involves making pages readable to search engines and emphasizing key topics related to your content. Basic optimization may involve nothing more than ensuring that a site does not unnecessarily become part of the invisible Web (the portion of the Web not accessible through Web search engines). Advanced optimization may include significant research into every element of page design, site structure, and off-the-page criteria.
Before pages can be optimized, research must be done to determine which keywords to target. This involves finding relevant keywords, determining their popularity, assessing the amount of competition, and deciding which keywords can be best supported with quality content. Marketing Terms.com
- Short for search engine optimization, the process of increasing the amount of visitors to a Web site by ranking high in the search results of a search engine. The higher a Web site ranks in the results of a search, the greater the chance that that site will be visited by a user. It is common practice for Internet users to not click through pages and pages of search results, so where a site ranks in a search is essential for directing more traffic toward the site. SEO helps to ensure that a site is accessible to a search engine and improves the chances that the site will be found by the search engine. Webopedia.com
- search string
- See also query.
- Search strings or terms are the words entered by users into a search engine or directory to locate needed information. Bruemmer 01
- search term
- A single word or group of words used in a search engine document query. It also refers to the strategic keywords used to optimize web page content. Bruemmer 01
- server
- A powerful computer that holds data to be shared over a network. Can be used to store critical data for retrieval. A server also acts the communications gateway between many computers connected to it, responding to requests for information from client computers. On the Internet, all web pages are held on servers. This includes search engine and directory data accessible from the Internet. Typically, the computers running the server software are dedicated to that purpose. Bruemmer 01
- spamdexing
- See also spamming.
- Techniques employed by some Web marketers and site designers in order to fool a search engine''s spider and indexing programs. The objective is to ensure that their Web sites always appear at or near the top of the list of search engine results. There are a variety of methods, but one of the most common is "word stuffing," which embeds a particular word in the site dozens or even hundreds of times.
- The practice of using pages created expressly for
search engines which consist of huge quantities of words just to attract hits.
To the extent that some or all of those words have little relevance to the
content of the page(s) or the site, this is the equivalent of email spamming
(hence the term). An example is Chris Locke's
allthewords page which he has created to confound search
engines.
- Search engine spam is "any attempt to artificially influence a search engine's ability to calculate relevancy." Sullivan 01
- The alteration or creation of a document with intent to deceive an electronic catalog or filing system. Any technique that increases the potential positioning of a site at the expense of the quality of the search engine's database is regarded as spamdexing, also referred to as spamming or spoofing. Bruemmer 01
- Techniques employed by some Web marketers and site designers in
order to fool a search engine's spider and indexing programs. The objective is
to ensure that their Web sites always appear at or near the top of the list of
search engine results.
There are a variety of methods, but one of the most common is "word stuffing," which embeds a particular word in the site dozens or even hundreds of times. The words may be presented in such a way that people who visit the site cannot see them (as white text on a white background, for example), but search engines can. Or they may be quite obvious: line after line of "make money fast" on a page promoting a marketing opportunity.
Another technique is to combine word stuffing with "bait-and-switch," which loads the page with a popular search word such as sex, free, shareware or Windows, even though the word has nothing to do with the site content.
Major search engines such as AltaVista, Excite, and Lycos use special software to try to outsmart the spamdexers. Lycos, for example, automatically gives a lower ranking in its search results to any page that contains a lot of repeated words. But as soon as one method is successfully dealt with, others emerge that call for new and different approaches by the major engines.
Legitimate techniques that site designers can use to make their site more visible to search engines, such as inserting appropriate keywords in the site's <META> tags, are often provided along with the search engine's "Search Tips" or "Help" information. Another good source is Search Engine Watch (www.searchenginewatch.com), which covers the major search engines. See doorway page and spam. The Computer Language Company
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Trying to deceive (spam) our web crawler by means of hidden text, deceptive cloaking or doorway pages compromises the quality of our results and degrades the search experience for everyone. …
… We investigate each report of deceptive practices thoroughly and take appropriate action when abuse is uncovered. … In especially egregious cases, we will remove spammers from our index immediately, so they do not show up in search results at all. Other steps will be taken as necessary. Google 01
- spamming
- See also spamdexing.
- Spamming is the practice of purposely deceiving a search engine into returning a result that is unrelated to a user's query, or that is ranked artificially high in the result set. Site Submit
- spider
- A component of a search engine that roams the web, storing the URLs and indexing the keywords and text of each page encountered. Also referred to as a robot or crawler. Bruemmer 01
- stop word
- Words ignored in a query because they are so commonly used that they can't contribute to relevancy. Includes conjunctions, prepositions, and articles such as and, to and a. Bruemmer 01
- submission
- See also registration.
- The application made on behalf of a website that the site be
included in a given directory database. The information to be submitted
consists of mandatory items required by a given directory together with some
optional ones all within a framework of rules specific to each search engine.
At a minimum, it consists of the site's URL, title and a short summary of the
website. It may also include the category or categories under which the
applicant wishes the site to be listed. A directory's editors review the
submission, verify the URL and decide whether the category requested is
appropriate and vet the description and other qualitative information supplied.
Those editors may decide that the category requested is not appropriate and substitute another.
The scrutiny of the editors is most stringent when a commercial site submits for a non-commercial category because the objective of the directory is to provide the most useful information available for a given query.
A submission may be made manually (i.e., by a human), by a submission program (e.g., Dynamic Submission 2000
and
WebPosition Gold
) or by using a
submission service (e.g.,
kresch.com's).Strictly speaking, most major search engines do not provide a mechanism for a submission per se. Some provide a form for the URL or address of a site so that that site is crawled and thereby indexed and added to the search engine's database. The majors crawl the web on a periodic basis and discover sites in the process so that "submitting" to one may or may not expedite that process.
