A search algorithm is a step by step procedure intended to spot specific data amongst many others. Search algorithms are a fundamental procedure in computing. There are various types of search algorithms that are important to pay attention to. Not only do search algorithms make it easier to find information, but understanding them are important when it comes to digital marketing and SEO. This article explores the different types of search algorithms and their importance to digital marketing.
Linear Search Algorithms
Linear search algorithms are considered to be the most basic form of search algorithms. These types of algorithms are best for short lists that are unordered and unsorted. This algorithm looks at each item as a list to find the appropriate item. This type of search item is not the most efficient compared to other search algorithms.
Binary Search Algorithm
A binary search algorithm exploits the ordering of a list. This one tends to be the better choice if a list contains terms that are in order of increasing size. Binary search algorithms will always begin in the middle of the list. Depending on where the target is located, the algorithm will eliminate either the upper or lower half of the list. This works especially well for larger databases. It starts by categorizing the data in three separate categories. Pre-Processing will sort the collection, Binary Search then divides them, and Post-Processing determines which candidates will remain. Overall, this will produce quicker results than linear search algorithms.
Hashing Search Algorithm
A Hashing algorithm is a mathematical function that jumbles up data and makes it unreadable. This is a one way program, so the text can’t be unscrambled by anyone else. All Hashing algorithms are mathematical, uniform, consistent, and one-way. They are used for password storage, digital signature, document management, and file management. Understanding Hashing algorithms are essential for anyone that works in cybersecurity. Most Hashing algorithms follow a specific process. The first being:
- Creating the message: The user will determine what needs to be hashed;
- Choose the type: The user will choose a specific algorithm out of many that exist;
- Enter the message: The message will be added into the computer that is responsible for running the algorithm;
- Start the hash: The system will transform the message into a bit size;
- Store or share: The user has the option to send the hash to a recipient or keep it stored.
Search algorithms and SEO Management
Search algorithms are helpful in the sense that they help determine the ranking of a web page. There are specific rules that help determine whether or not a web page is real or spam. The results will showcase whether a site’s ranking on this search is high or low. If keywords are located in the title page, headline, and somewhere in the first paragraph, then that will help with the overall ranking. Search engines will spend time seeing how keywords are used within the text of the website to determine if the page is consistent with what you are searching for.
Individual factors
Individual factors stem from each search engine’s ability to use their own set of rules. Different sets exist depending on the rules for how these algorithms move throughout the sites. For example, if you were to search “car accessories” on Google, Bing, and Yahoo, you’d get different results. Different accessories from different brands would pop up depending on which search engine you are utilizing.
Off page (Off-Site) SEO
By now, everyone in the Marketing world generally has a good understanding of what SEO is. On-site SEO is the most common and understood. However Off-Site or Off-Page SEO is a little less understood but still equally important. Since it is less understood, a lot of people seem to overlook it when they create their marketing strategy. The number of referring domains is one of the most influential ranking factors of Off-Site SEO. This is the number of websites that link back to your website. Digital Marketers strive to have only high quality websites in their referring domain. This is because Google will rank your website higher when people search for its services if they see that another trusted site is connected to them. If the site is lower quality, that could potentially hurt you. That is why, Marketers take the time to go through the referring domains and clean out all the low quality websites that link to theirs.
Sources:
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/21975/search-algorithm
https://www.okta.com/identity-101/hashing-algorithms/
https://www.volusion.com/blog/search-algorithms/
https://zerogravitymarketing.com/off-page-seo-ranking-factors/
