The latest addition to Google’s ‘How Search Works’ series sheds light on the process of crawling, as revealed in their recent release.
Ever wondered how Google finds all those webpages you see in search results? The answer lies in crawling, the first stage of Google’s search process.
Google recently released a new episode in its “How Search Works” series, specifically focusing on crawling. This episode offers valuable insights for webmasters and anyone curious about the inner workings of search.
What is Crawling?
Crawling involves Googlebot, an automated program that scours the internet, discovering new and updated webpages. Googlebot doesn’t have a central directory to work from; instead, it discovers new URLs by following links on webpages it has already visited. This process is called URL discovery.
Google recently released a new episode in its “How Search Works” series, specifically focusing on crawling.
This episode, led by Google Search engineer Gary Illyes, dives into the inner workings of Googlebot, the software that tirelessly scours the internet for new and updated webpages.
Here are some key takeaways from the episode:
- URL Discovery: Googlebot doesn’t have a magic map of the internet. It discovers new webpages by following links from known ones. This continuous process is called URL discovery.
- Strategic Crawling: Googlebot prioritizes efficiency and avoids overwhelming websites. It crawls each site at a customized pace, considering factors like server response time and content freshness.
- Seeing the Web Like a Browser: Googlebot uses a recent version of the Chrome browser to render pages. This ensures it can process content loaded by JavaScript and correctly understand dynamic websites.
- Sticking to Public Pages: Googlebot respects privacy and only crawls publicly available webpages. Content behind logins or paywalls remains hidden from its search engine sights.
The “How Search Works” series is a valuable resource for anyone who wants to understand how Google Search operates. This episode on crawling is particularly helpful for website owners and SEO professionals. By understanding how Googlebot works, they can optimize their websites for better discoverability and search ranking.
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