Understanding Internet Information: How Search Engines Work, Optimization Tips, and More

1. Information on the Internet

2. http • hypertext transfer protocol • Web clients (browsers) make request to the web server. • Looks for web page written in HTML.

3. URL • Uniform Resource Locator • Entire location of a page/image: • http://www.amazon.comhttp://keep3.sjfc.edu/faculty/jsarachanhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/102-3711441-9976104http://www.sjfc.edu/admissions/academics.asphttp://www.hammersaw.com/logo.gif

4. Parts of a Domain Name • Top Level (TLD).com, .edu, .net, .gov, .org, .biz, .info.ca, .uk, .tv • Second Level • Third Level (www)

5. IP Address/Domain Name System • IP Address has 4 parts: 64.236.16.20 • D omain name system links URL to IP address via DNS servers • DNS=Domain Name System • Static vs. Dynamic IP addresses

6. How Search Engines Work I • A search engine uses a form of software that can travel on the web called a “crawler” or “spider” or “bot.” • Examines each page, and each link (some ignore images, pdf files, etc.). • Information about each page (everything or headings, keywords) are sent back to database. • Webmasters can submit site to speed up process.

7. How Search Engines Work II • User submits keywords that match keywords from the site, as well as dates created or other criteria. • Information from database is returned, ordered by different rules (relevance, age). • User may be given title and URL and/or sentences about document (meta tags).

8. Optimization of Web Sites • Web Designers should pick obvious names for the URL—without hypens or misspellings. • Use meta tags. • Frequency of keywords on page.

9. Finding Web Sites • Use different rules (algorithms) to organize web pages. • Keyword frequency/placement/prominence • Fuzzy search • Relevance (order of keywords matter) • Site popularity • Paying for Placement • Boolean logic

10. Two type of search sites • Directories (indexes) • Search Engines

11. Google • http://www.google.com • Works as phone book:combination of first and last name, city, stateOR phone number • Finds street maps via yahoo or mapquest • Dictionary definitions • Stock quotes (to yahoo)

12. Typical Rules • “spider man“ (include whole phrase) • Spider -man (don’t include this word) • Spider ANDNOT man(don’t include second word) • (spider man) (one word or the other) • Spider OR man (one word or the other) • +spider +man (both spider and man) • Spider AND man (both spider and man)

13. Searching Extras Google • biology site:www.sjfc.edu • link:www.sjfc.edu • Info:www.sjfc.edu • Advanced Search (and tips) in Google

14. Other search engines • www.yahoo.com • www.findarticles.com • www.dogpile.com • www.askjeeves.com • www.beaucoup.com (free information) • www.kartoo.com • www.archive.org

15. Things You Can Findon theInternet • Websites • Images • MP3 files • News • Maps/directions (www.mapquest.com) • People(www.switchboard.com,whitepages.com,yahoo.com) • Games (www.gamespot.com) • Film or TV show information (www.imdb.com) • Music Information (www.allmusic.com) • Lyrics (type into Google) • Health Information (www.webmd.com)

16. Bookmarks • Also called Favorites • In IE, if you are on a page you want to keep, choose: “Add Page to Favorites” • You can organize favorites and add URLs to toolbar.