Definition of Algorithm

An algorithm is a set of mathematical rules used by search engines. The algorithm or a specific set of rules determines the manner in which listings are ranked when they are returned from an online search using keywords. Basically, it determines which Websites are listed at the top of the list and in what order they appear. Each Website earns a page rank that determines its place in the list of results. The higher a Website’s page rank is, the higher on the list the link for the Website will appear. This algorithm ranks all of the findings to the bottom of the list.

These rules rank the listings contained in the search index according to the rules that have been set up and as they relate to an exact keyword query. Each search engine uses its own set of algorithms, which is why the results for the same keywords will create different results, depending on the specific search engine used.

External links:

• A Wikipedia explaination of Algorithm
• Google howstuffworks explanation
• Wisegeek explanation