# How do they do it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-it/260787>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 20, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-it/260787 "2004-08-20T23:34:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![googol2thenth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecccb3/32.png) [@googol2thenth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/googol2thenth)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-it/260787/1 "2004-08-20T23:34:53Z")

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How in heaven’s name do search engines comb through gazillions of Web pages to do your bidding in a couple-three seconds? It doesn’t seem possible! Can anybody out there explain this phenomenon to a non-techie like myself?

googol2thenth  
Simi Valley, California

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**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-it/260787/2 "2004-08-20T23:38:49Z")

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Try these for a start:

[http://searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/article.php/2168031](http://searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/article.php/2168031)

> **[Library Guides: Evaluating Resources: Home](https://guides.lib.berkeley.edu/evaluating-resources)**
>
> Library Guides: Evaluating Resources: Home

[http://www.searchengines.com/search\_engines\_101.html](http://www.searchengines.com/search_engines_101.html)

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**Author:** ![googol2thenth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecccb3/32.png) [@googol2thenth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/googol2thenth)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-it/260787/3 "2004-08-20T23:58:22Z")

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Thanks for the pointers, Shagnasty.

> [@Shagnasty](#):
>
> Try these for a start:
> 
> [http://searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/article.php/2168031](http://searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/article.php/2168031)
> 
> [Home - Evaluating Resources - Library Guides at UC Berkeley](http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/SearchEngines.html)
> 
> [http://www.searchengines.com/search\_engines\_101.html](http://www.searchengines.com/search_engines_101.html)

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**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-they-do-it/260787/4 "2004-08-21T02:17:11Z")

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Google uses a very interesting [system](http://www.google.com/technology/pigeonrank.html).