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Name: Karl
Status: educator
Grade: 12+
Country: USA
Date: Fall 2011
Question:
How does a search engine like Google work?


Replies:
Hi Billy,

Search engines employ "web crawlers" (which are a kind of program) that visit all the web sites on the Internet, read the content of the web pages, and index the context for quick retrieval. In order to give fast response times, search engine companies employ tens of thousands of computers that work together to provide a search result. These servers are geographically distributed throughout the world so that when you type in your search, it is services by a computer that is relatively close to you.

Scott P. Smith


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