Search Engines
Understanding how search engines work, Google in particular, is important when working in SEO. The basics of crawling and indexing are amazingly useful to understand if you want to rank your own content.
Additionally, Google updates its algorithm several times a year. Understanding the more significant updates, and how they work, can help you to craft content and SEO strategies that are up-to-date.
We've written extensively about how search engines work, and included some of the top resources here. You can also browse the latest posts on search engines from the Moz blog below.
How Search Engines Work : New to SEO? Start with the basics of how search engines operate with our free beginner's guide.
Search Engine Ranking and Visibility : Learn the fundamentals of how search engines rank content on search engine result pages.
Google Algorithm Update History : A complete history of Google algorithm updates since 2000. This includes important links and references for understanding how Google works.
How Search Engines Value Links : Search engines work off a number of signals, but two of the most important are content and links. In this video, Rand Fishkin explains the basics of link evaluation.
MozCast : Is Google updating it's algorithm as we speak? MozCast is the Google algorithm weather report, so you can see how much Google results are changing each day.
How to Diagnose SEO Traffic Drops: 11 Questions to Answer
Every consultant or SEO will be asked at some point to investigate an organic traffic drop. To make that investigation a little less painful, this post lays out eleven essential questions to ask that'll help you get to the bottom of the drop.
Google's Walled Garden: Are We Being Pushed Out of Our Own Digital Backyards?
Google is driving more and more clicks back to Google and creating fully in-search experiences, including custom portals. Are they walling off a garden built on our content? What does (and doesn't) Google owe us — as marketers, search users, and content creators?![The Google Ranking Factor You Can Influence in an Afternoon [Case Study]](https://outdoorsrank.com/images/blog/banners/content-bd475af_2021-03-30-225549.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&dm=1617144949&s=da75de352ce320f47dbfb9a1cf2721f8)
The Google Ranking Factor You Can Influence in an Afternoon [Case Study]
One content marketing agency was able to improve their rankings within 60 seconds of being reindexed—and after careful, thoughtful retooling of the page content. Learn how they successfully catered to Hummingbird and what process they followed in this case study.![How Is Google's New "Questions and Answers" Feature Being Used? [Case Study]](https://outdoorsrank.com/images/blog/banners/local-seo-e50da72_2021-03-30-225825.png?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=crop&dm=1617145105&s=fccf98743c323fa258365beac19f32f4)
How Is Google's New "Questions and Answers" Feature Being Used? [Case Study]
One of Google's newest features in the local SERPs doesn't seem to have great adoption by business owners. How are people Google's new Questions & Answers, and who gets the most benefit from participation? Check out the takeaways from this case study by Miriam Ellis.
An Investigation Into Google's Maccabees Update
When his site was unexpectedly hit by a recent core Google algorithm update, one SEO was determined to find out why. Follow along with all the steps taken to see just what went wrong and how to determine the right fix.Level Up Your SEO Skills With Our Free Training
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What Do Google's New, Longer Snippets Mean for SEO?
Snippets and meta descriptions have new character limits, and it's a big change for Google (and us SEOs). Learn about what's new and what it means for SEO in this edition of Whiteboard Friday.
Knowledge Graph Eats Featured Snippets, Jumps +30%
Over a 4-day period at the end of October, we saw a 10% drop in Featured Snippets. This co-occurred with an explosion (+30%) in Knowledge Panels. What happened, and how are these connected?
How & Why to Make Your Website More Secure
Last month, Google stepped up their game when it comes to holding sites to security standards. If you're not sure whether your site's security levels make the cut or need tips on how to get started, this primer will help.
How Google Gives Us Insight into Searcher Intent Through the Results
Buried inside most SERPs (especially those with more general queries) is a host of insight into Google's assumptions about searcher intent. Rand explains how you can find it.
Google Shares Details About the Technology Behind Googlebot
It's been revealed that version 41 of the Google Chrome browser is the technology behind Google's crawler. What does this mean for developers, and how can you use this in your own SEO toolkit?