How Search Engine Spiders Work
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Internet Business -> subcategory Other.
How Search Engine Spiders Work
Overview
Search engines vary in complexity, with some employing intricate methods to index web content. This guide explores how popular search engines use spiders to index your website.
Smaller Engines: InfoSeek
InfoSeek indexes only about 200 words from your page, making meta tags crucial. Ensure your meta tags are well-structured and relevant, as they display your site's description. While most meta tags allow around 200 characters, the keywords tag offers up to 1,000 characters.
Importance of Meta Tags
Meta tags are critical across all search engines. Key information should appear early in your meta tags and site content. Some engines bypass meta tags altogether, so align your body content with your tags to avoid keyword stuffing.
AltaVista and Scooter
AltaVista uses a spider called Scooter to index websites. Unlike typical spiders that take 6-8 weeks, Scooter may take up to three months. It indexes 2-10 pages weekly, meaning longer-lasting sites generally achieve better indexing.
Excite's Complex Algorithm
Although Excite has declined in prominence, its algorithm remains intricate. It reviews your site bi-weekly, summarizing content by relevance. Note, Excite disregards meta tags for rankings, but uses description tags if they relate to your content.
Lycos and ODP Integration
Lycos integrates the Open Directory Project (ODP) and pulls results from AllTheWeb, also running click-throughs via HotBot. While their indexing approach may seem inconsistent, getting listed in ODP and AllTheWeb can help your site appear on Lycos.
WebCrawler's Tough Standards
Owned by Excite, WebCrawler maintains its own indexing system. It's known for challenging submission standards, but staying listed is advantageous due to its unpredictable indexing process.
Google: The Giant
Google dominates with its page ranking system. Initially difficult to manipulate, savvy users found success by increasing external links to boost rankings. Google doesn't use context-sensitive rankings, unlike Yahoo, Looksmart, and ODP, though it regularly indexes these sites.
MSN and the Search Engine Trinity
MSN, along with Google and Yahoo!, forms the "holy trinity" of search engines, driving most traffic. MSN is typically the quickest to index new sites, often listing more pages faster than others.
Tips for Indexing
While exact indexing timelines are uncertain, check back weekly. Avoid resubmitting your site more than every two months, as over-submission might prevent indexing altogether.
You can find the original non-AI version of this article here: How Search Engine Spiders Work.
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