Search Engines

A search engine is a website that helps you find things on the internet. You type in words, and it shows you a list of websites about that topic. The most famous search engine is Google. Others include Bing, Yahoo, and DuckDuckGo. Search engines make it easy to learn about anything.

How They Work

A search engine uses computer programs called spiders or crawlers. These visit websites and read the words on them. The search engine keeps a huge list of all the websites it finds. When you type a question, it looks through its list. Then it shows you the best matches for your words.

Google and Others

Google started in 1998 by two college students named Larry Page and Sergey Brin. It grew to be the biggest search engine in the world. Today, Google answers billions of questions every day. Other search engines like Bing also help people find information. Kid-safe search engines help children find things that are right for their age.

Fun Facts

• Google handles over 8 billion searches every day.
• The name Google comes from the math word googol, meaning a huge number.
• The first search engine was called Archie and was made in 1990.

Did You Know?

Search engines use special math rules called algorithms to decide which websites to show first when you look something up.