Search Index

How does a search engine index work?

The search index refers to the database of the search engines. When a website is crawled, data and information from that website is collected, analyzed and stored in a searchable index.

The information collected is organized according to the main signals identified by the search engine.

After performing a search, the search engine searches its database to find web pages that appear in its SERPs based on the relevance of the query.

Literal Meanings of Search Index

Index:

Meanings of Index:

Alphabetical list of objects and their location.
Index by index.
Move your finger over the gauge, scale, etc.
A character resembling a pointing hand, used to draw attention to a note or paragraph.
What it shows, what it shows, indicates, manifests or reveals.
Sign, insinuate, sign.
A type of noun whose form value changes depending on context. For example, today's newspaper is a form of index, as the referent will change depending on the context. See also Symbol and Icon.
A unique number calculated from a range of prices or quantities.
A number that represents a property or relationship, a factor.
An embossed suffix denoting strength.
An integer or other key indicating the location of the data, e.g. in an array, vector, database table, associative array, or hash table.
A data structure that improves the performance of operations on a table.
Prologue with the following.
Organize an index for everything, especially long text.
Inventory, inventory.
Normalize inflation to correct inflation by linking it to a price index to maintain real levels.
Ser index to indicate (situation or state of affairs).
Access a value in a data container through an index.