Understanding Search Engines Listings

Here’s a bit of search engine trivia that some of you already know but many will find interesting. Did you know that when you search for something using a search engine like Google, Yahoo or MSN there are two types of results given?

The first type of results are typically shown along the very top and right-hand side and they are considered “sponsored” results (also called sponsored links or sponsored sites). These are basically paid ads and someone pays the search engine every time this ad gets clicked. (Trivia: Often search engines charge more than $1/click for this space!)

The other type of search results are mathematical formula-driven and based on a secret and often patented ranking scheme developed by each search engine. These results, usually referred to by “geeks” as organic or natural listings, are the result of years of research and analysis into categorizing data and delivering up relevant answers. (Trivia: Some search engines claim to analyze more than 100 factors for each site they recommend for your search query — and there’s usually at least 10 sites recommended per results page. That’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes!)