How Google Search works
Google has robot helpers that walk around the internet reading pages, like a librarian collecting books. It puts them on giant shelves. When you ask a question, it picks the best books off the shelf for you.
Google Search works in three stages:
- Crawling: automated programs called crawlers (Google's is Googlebot) download text, images and videos from pages they find, mostly by following links and reading sitemaps.
- Indexing: Google analyzes the page and stores what it learns in its index, a huge database. Duplicate pages are grouped and one is chosen as the main (canonical) version.
- Serving results: when someone searches, Google picks matching pages from the index and ranks them using many factors, such as the searcher's location, language and device.
- SEO (search engine optimization) means helping search engines understand your content and helping people find it.
- Google says it doesn't accept payment to crawl a site more often or rank it higher. Ads are separate and labelled (course 3.6).
- Pick one page of your own site (or a free site you made).
- Open Google and type site:yourdomain.com to see which pages Google has stored. If nothing shows yet, Google has not indexed it.
- Write the three stages in your own words: crawling, indexing, serving results.
- Check that your page has a link to it from another page, because crawlers mostly find pages by following links.
- Remember that Google does not take payment to crawl more often or rank higher.
- Check: you can explain Googlebot, index and canonical to a friend.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "Google doesn't search the whole internet when you hit enter. It searches its copy."
[Text on screen: 1. Crawl 2. Index 3. Serve] "Step one: crawlers find your page. Step two: Google files it in its index. Step three: it shows it when someone searches."
[Screen: page with links pointing to it] "Crawlers find pages mostly by following links."
[Host] "And you can't pay Google to rank higher in the free results. You earn it."
Search site:yourwebsite.com on Google (use your own domain). Count how many of your pages appear. Note any important page that's missing.
ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude
Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.
For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.
I'm learning "SEO Basics: Get Found on Google" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "How Google Search works". What the lesson teaches: - SEO (search engine optimization) means helping search engines understand your content and helping people find it. - Google says it doesn't accept payment to crawl a site more often or rank it higher. Ads are separate and labelled (course 3.6). The exercise I'm working on: Search site:yourwebsite.com on Google (use your own domain). Count how many of your pages appear. Note any important page that's missing. I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "How Google Search works" from the course "SEO Basics: Get Found on Google". Here's what the lesson says: Google has robot helpers that walk around the internet reading pages, like a librarian collecting books. It puts them on giant shelves. When you ask a question, it picks the best books off the shelf for you. The activity: Search site:yourwebsite.com on Google (use your own domain). Count how many of your pages appear. Note any important page that's missing. Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Sources
- Google Search Central, In-depth guide to how Google Search works: developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works
Keywords and search intent
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Helpful, people-first content
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On-page basics
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Search Console and page experience
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What not to do (and how long it takes)
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Final project
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Quiz
What are Google Search's three stages?
Crawling, indexing, serving results.
Can you pay Google to rank higher in the free results?
No.
What does E-E-A-T stand for, and which part does Google call most important?
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness; trust is most important.
Does Google use the meta keywords tag?
No.
What's a "good" Largest Contentful Paint?
Within 2.5 seconds.
What's a "good" CLS score?
0.1 or less.
Is buying links for ranking purposes allowed?
No, it's link spam.
How long can SEO changes take to show?
From hours to several months.
Final exam
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Certificate
This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.