You’ve probably searched for something online, clicked a result and never thought about how it got there. But if your own website feels invisible, understanding how search engines work becomes essential. Google is not guessing. It follows a clear process to decide which pages deserve to rank and which ones get pushed aside.
When you know how crawling, indexing and ranking actually work, SEO becomes far less mysterious. You can see why your website struggles, what Google needs from you and which changes will genuinely move the needle.
This guide breaks down how search engines work in simple terms and explains why it matters for any business that wants to be found online.
Why understanding search engines matters
Understanding the process - what happens behind the scenes every time someone searches - isn’t just technical trivia. It’s business-critical knowledge. Once you understand how search engines think, and why it matters, you can make small, deliberate changes that have a big impact on visibility and trust.
Understanding how search engines work is just one part of a wider SEO puzzle. Knowing how to choose and prioritise the right keywords, on-page SEO and technical strategies all combine to help business grow their web presence. Our SEO small business series has a host of resources designed to help expand your knowledge on all things SEO.
What search engines actually do
At their core, search engines exist to connect people with answers. When someone searches for “best plumber near me” or “how to improve cash flow,” Google’s job is to find the most relevant, reliable, and helpful results — fast.
That process happens in milliseconds, but it relies on years of engineering, data, and machine learning. Every result you see has been discovered, stored, and evaluated by algorithms designed to measure quality, authority, and usefulness.
The process happens in three broad stages: crawling, indexing, and ranking.
Crawling: discovering what’s on the web
Search engines can’t magically “see” the internet. They use automated programs called crawlers or bots to explore it - following links from page to page, discovering new sites, and checking for updates.
When a crawler visits your website, it reads your code, follows your links, and looks for clues about what each page contains. If it can’t access your pages (perhaps due to technical barriers, broken links, or poor structure), those pages effectively don’t exist in Google’s eyes.
Think of it like the world’s most tireless librarian cataloguing every book on the planet. If your book doesn’t have a title, author, or index, it’s hard to file - and harder still for readers to find.
Indexing: storing and understanding information
Once a crawler discovers a page, the next step is indexing — adding it to the search engine’s enormous database. This isn’t just about copying text; it’s about understanding what the content means.
During indexing, Google analyses your words, headings, image descriptions, and even the relationships between pages. It tries to understand the topic, context, and intent behind your content - not just the keywords.
If a page isn’t indexed, it can’t appear in search results at all. That’s why clarity, structure, and context are so important. Your website doesn’t need to be clever; it needs to be understandable.
Ranking: deciding who appears first
When someone types a search query, Google doesn’t go searching the live web - it looks inside its index, where billions of pages are already stored. Then it runs those pages through an algorithm that evaluates hundreds of ranking signals to determine which ones are most relevant.
Although the exact formula is secret, the main ingredients are known:
Relevance: Does your page actually answer the searcher’s question? Google analyses keywords, synonyms, and context to decide.
Authority: Do other reputable sites link to yours? Backlinks are like recommendations; they tell Google your content is trustworthy.
User experience: Does your site load quickly? Is it mobile-friendly? Can people find what they need without getting lost or frustrated?
Google’s aim isn’t to reward whoever shouts the loudest; it’s to reward whoever serves the user best.
The algorithm: constantly learning and evolving
Google doesn’t have a single “ranking formula” carved in stone. It uses machine learning systems that evolve continuously, analysing search behaviour to deliver better results.
That’s why rankings fluctuate - sometimes daily. Updates are rolled out to improve relevance, combat spam, or adjust how certain signals (like backlinks or page experience) are weighed.
The key thing to remember is that Google’s incentives are aligned with users, not websites. If people consistently find helpful, relevant results, they keep using Google. If they don’t, they leave. So the best way to succeed long term is to create content that genuinely helps the user, not just the algorithm.
Related reading: How to optimise your website for better Google rankings
Why search engines matter for small businesses
Every search result is a decision-maker’s moment of truth. If your business doesn’t appear when someone searches for the service you offer, that opportunity goes to someone else.
Understanding how search engines work helps you focus your effort where it counts - creating a site that’s easy to find, easy to understand, and easy to trust. You don’t need complex software or a marketing department to start improving your visibility. You just need to make it easy for both people and search engines to see your value.
Because SEO isn’t really about gaming Google - it’s about communicating clearly with it.
Search engines aren’t mysterious gatekeepers. They’re translators between human questions and digital answers. Once you know how they read, sort, and rank information, you can make your website work with them instead of against them - turning visibility into opportunity.
Next up: How to find what your customers are really searching for →
Want to dig deeper?
If you’d like to learn how to use SEO to grow your business (without the jargon), check out more of our SEO for small businesses resources. We explain how to choose keywords, create great content and track your progress, all in language that makes sense.