How Search Engines Work, Searching

• User types words into the form and clicks the "Search" button

• Search engine will receive the query (words and commands)

• Look in the index file for matches to the search terms

• Gather the matching page information

• Sort the results by relevance (how well they match the query)

• Format the results page in HTML

• Return the results page to the searcher's web browser

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Search Engine Strategies
San Francisco, August 17 2001

Avi Rappoport, Search Tools Consulting
www.searchtools.com