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Beginner Course · Class 2 of 6How Search Engines Work & Keyword Research
⏱ 25 min read · 🃏 flashcards · 📝 8-question quiz
Before you can rank on Google, you must understand how Google thinks. Search engines do three jobs:
- Crawling — Googlebot follows links across the web and discovers your pages.
- Indexing — discovered pages are stored in Google's giant database (the index).
- Ranking — when someone searches, Google sorts indexed pages by hundreds of signals: relevance, quality, links, speed, mobile-friendliness and user experience.
site:yourwebsite.com into Google. It shows which of your pages are indexed. If a page is not indexed, it can never rank.Keywords: the language of your customers
A keyword is whatever a person types into the search box. Keyword research means finding the exact words your customers use, then building pages around them.
| Type | Example | Intent |
|---|---|---|
| Informational | "what is seo" | Learning — great for blog posts |
| Navigational | "sasikumar talks youtube" | Finding a specific brand |
| Commercial | "best seo course in tamil" | Comparing options |
| Transactional | "buy seo course online" | Ready to purchase |
Long-tail keywords win for beginners
"Shoes" is impossible to rank for. "Best running shoes for flat feet under ₹3000" is very possible — fewer searches, but far less competition and much higher buying intent. As a beginner, always chase long-tail keywords first.
Free tools to start today
- Google Autocomplete — start typing and note the suggestions.
- People Also Ask boxes — ready-made question keywords.
- Google Keyword Planner (free with a Google Ads account) — search volumes.
- Google Trends — is interest rising or falling?
🃏 Flashcards — tap to flip & memorise
Active recall beats re-reading. Say the meaning out loud, then tap to check yourself.
📝 Class 2 Quiz — 8 questions
Answer every question, then submit for your instant score. 60%+ passes the class — perfect scores earn extra applause! 👏