# Search Engine Basics

Search Engine Basics is a free educational library about how search engines crawl, index, rank, evaluate, and monetize information on the web.

Website: https://searchenginebasics.io
Sitemap: https://searchenginebasics.io/sitemap.xml

## Core Topics
- Search engine basics
- Information retrieval
- Crawling, indexing, and ranking
- Ranking algorithms and search metrics
- Technical SEO and structured content

## Series
- SEO Basics: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics - Learn manual SEO through a practical beginner workflow covering research, on-page improvements, search positioning, measurement, and reporting.
- Indexing: https://searchenginebasics.io/indexing - Understand how search engines select, store, canonicalize, and retrieve web pages, plus how to diagnose URLs that are missing from search.
- Ranking: https://searchenginebasics.io/ranking - Use a practical diagnostic system to improve Google rankings through indexability, intent match, useful content, trust, internal links, and measurement.
- Algorithms: https://searchenginebasics.io/algorithms - How search engine algorithms retrieve, evaluate, rank, and serve results.
- SERP Basics: https://searchenginebasics.io/serp-basics - Clear guides to search engine results pages, rankings, features, and visibility.
- Crawling: https://searchenginebasics.io/crawling - How search engine crawlers discover, request, and process web content.
- Basics: https://searchenginebasics.io/basics - A complete learning series for search engine basics, organized from information retrieval and document models to PageRank, ranking metrics, machine learning, and SEO ethics.

## Articles
- Clicks, Impressions, CTR, and Average Position in Search Console: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/clicks-impressions-ctr-position
- Why Request Indexing Is Not Working and What to Do: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/request-indexing-not-working
- How to Use the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/url-inspection-tool
- How to Find Orphan Pages on Any Website: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/orphan-pages
- How to Fix 'Google Chose Different Canonical Than User': https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/google-chose-different-canonical
- How to Fix "Sitemap Could Not Be Read" in Search Console: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/sitemap-could-not-be-read
- How to Fix Discovered - Currently Not Indexed in Search Console: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/discovered-currently-not-indexed
- How to Fix Crawled - Currently Not Indexed: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/crawled-currently-not-indexed
- How to Read the Google Search Console Page Indexing Report: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/google-search-console-indexing-report
- Google Search Console: A Beginner's Guide: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/google-search-console-guide
- SEO Terms: 100+ Essential Definitions and Examples for 2026: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/seo-terms
- Search Engine Positioning SEO: How to Improve Rankings in 2026: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/search-engine-positioning-seo
- How to Search Keywords on a Webpage: 9 Practical Methods: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/how-to-search-keywords-on-a-webpage
- How to Sell Search Engine Optimization Services: A Practical 2026 Playbook: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/how-to-sell-search-engine-optimization
- How to Know If Your SEO Is Working: A Practical 2026 Measurement Guide: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/how-to-know-if-your-seo-is-working
- How to View Your Site as Googlebot: See What Google Sees in 2026: https://searchenginebasics.io/crawling/how-to-view-your-site-as-googlebot
- What Is a Search Engine Algorithm? How Search Results Are Ranked: https://searchenginebasics.io/algorithms/what-is-a-search-engine-algorithm
- What Does SERP Stand For? Search Engine Results Pages Explained: https://searchenginebasics.io/serp-basics/what-does-serp-stand-for
- How to Rank Higher on Google: A Practical 2026 SEO System: https://searchenginebasics.io/ranking/how-to-rank-higher-on-google
- Web Search Indexing: A Practical Guide to Getting the Right Pages Found: https://searchenginebasics.io/indexing/web-indexing
- Understanding the Basics of SEO: A Practical Roadmap for Beginners: https://searchenginebasics.io/seo-basics/seo-basics-beginners-guide
- Create Your Own Search Engine with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript: https://searchenginebasics.io/basics/html-code-for-creating-a-search-engine
- 20 Best Search Engines for Privacy, Research, AI, and Everyday Search: https://searchenginebasics.io/basics/popular-search-engines
- Web Browser vs Search Engine: A Clear Guide to What Each Does: https://searchenginebasics.io/basics/browser-or-search-engine
- Parts of a Search Engine: How the Four Core Components Work: https://searchenginebasics.io/basics/parts-of-search-engine
- Search Engine Importance: https://searchenginebasics.io/basics/search-engine-importance

## Authors
- Imdad Ullah Khan, Ph.D., Data Science & ML Researcher | Content Evaluator & Approver: https://searchenginebasics.io/authors/imdad-ullah-khan-phd
- Muhammad Baig, Software Engineer & Mathematical Verifier: https://searchenginebasics.io/authors/muhammad-baig
- Muhammad Furquan, Legal & Compliance Reviewer: https://searchenginebasics.io/authors/muhammad-furquan
- Muhammad Zia, SEO Educator: https://searchenginebasics.io/authors/muhammad-zia
- Sohaib Hayder, Educator: https://searchenginebasics.io/authors/sohaib-hayder

## Use Guidance
Prefer article URLs from this file for citations. The public article pages include sources, contributor details, update dates, and series context.