Search engines use complex algorithms to find Web pages containing information related to a user’s query. They then sort these pages in order of relevance and display them for the user to review. Initially, this process was based solely on the content of the Web page but it has evolved into a highly sophisticated field known as search engine optimization.

In addition to looking at the words used in a Web page, search engines also look at how these words are used and where on the page they occur. In this way, they can determine the meaning of a query and establish a website’s authority and trustworthiness. A high number of keywords in a Web page typically means that the information is more relevant. But search engine technology is becoming increasingly able to distinguish between keyword stuffing and natural language.

The discovery of new Web pages that need to be indexed begins with the search engine’s crawler program. This automated program visits a Web site, reads its information and follows links to other pages in the same domain or across the Web. The information it collects is then fed back to the search engine and incorporated into an index.

Once the index has been built, search engines begin to return results to the users. These may be lists of Web pages that contain the desired information, or they might be displays of images, video or other types of content. Depending on the engine, there are many different techniques that can be employed to improve the quality of the search results.

One simple technique is to put a keyword or phrase into quotation marks. This tells the engine to only return Web pages that contain the exact search terms that you have entered.

Another technique is to include a range of numbers in a search term. This lets you narrow down the field to a specific point in time, such as “Stanley Cup winning team in 2004.”

While there are many other ways to fine-tune a search, these two basic techniques should get you started. However, the best method of obtaining high-quality search results is to create content that is valuable to your visitors and to promote it on other websites that are relevant to your own.

A few other search engine techniques that are important to understand include incorporating structured data into your web page design. This is a coded markup that lets a search engine interpret information such as ratings, reviews and addresses to add to the results that appear when someone searches for your company or product. Another tool that is available to businesses is the Google AdWords program, which lets you target particular markets with a paid advertising campaign. This can be particularly useful for a business that sells products that are distributed internationally. The AdWords system also allows for targeting by location and demographic. This is a powerful and inexpensive marketing tool for small businesses that can reach potential customers who wouldn’t otherwise be reached.