#How Google Search Engine Works

[guzhufuren]

so i'm beefing it out with our internet providing company right? cause the prices are fuckass insane, but the internet connection works terribly. a worker came today to check the router and do a few operations that could help fix the issues, and at one point he asked for my phone and to open google search engine on it so he can find the usual website for checking internet speed on a device. well thank god i live in a country where being fluent in english is a rarity rather than common thing because

this was what he saw when he clicked on the search bar

[transsexula]

No. Google. I'm actually looking specifically for trans MEN. I know a lot of articles talk about trans women. But I'm specifically looking for stuff about my subset of the trans community. Why the fuck are trans men so hyper-invisible.

[internetbizleads]

Optimize Your Google Business Profile for Local SEO

DONATE [Complete Your Profile?] The first step in optimizing your Google Business Profile, is to make sure every section is filled out completely. This includes your business name, location, phone number, website, hours of operation, and a detailed description of your services. Google favors comprehensive profiles, so don’t leave any blanks. {Use Accurate Keywords} Incorporate relevant…

[morgue-xiiv]

The responses to that search engine index thing are kinda worrying me becase it's such a fundamental misunderstanding of how search engine indexing works and what it's supposed to acomplish. And that's dangerous. People saying "wow if you search for my blog url then my blog comes up as a result" like.... no shit sherlock. It's a url. If someone HAS YOUR BLOG URL, Then DEFINITIONALLY they can find your blog! Tjat's literally what a URL does, and is for! That doesn't mean your blog is INDEXED. If your blog is indexed when someone searches for words or phrases you used in a blog you could potentially show up in the search results.

You might, on your blog, say "I am a vetenarian and I live in Chelmsford" (please don't do this). If someone searched "vets in chelmsford" looking for somewhere to take their sick cat, you might show up in the search results, but NOT if your blog isn't indexed (only the search engine has TRUE control over what it indexes, Tumblr cannot TRULY control this: it is not physically possible) but if you set your URL to "Chelmsford_Vet_BJH_fan" if one of your friends whose blog IS indexed ever said "yes my friend trumblruser @chelmsford_vet_bjh_fan was correct Princess Carolyn does have the most satisfying arc in the show" then suddenly you're back in the "chelmsford vet" search results and people looking fo places to take their sick cat can then type your URL into the publicly available Tumblr URL schema so they can see if you sided with Diane or Mr Peanus buffer when they broke up and then call up your employer and try to have you fired for being too much/not enough misogynistic. Google Knowing your blog EXISTS isn't the same as your blog being indexed, and if someone knows to google your UN they have access to your blog.

Also indexing is a thing search engines do periodically and if after saying you're a vet in chelmsford you think "oh fuck" and ask google not to index your blog, if google ALREADY indexed your blog, you will remain in the google results for chelmsford vets for an undetermined amount of time (could be up to 1 eternity)

[lewyym]

OMG YES THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS. USE -AI AT THE END OF YOUR SEARCH. It's just like on r34 and e621 so y'all horny fuckers should get a grip of it quickly

[dipdigitalpro]

How SEO Helps You Attract Quality Website Traffic

At Dip Digital Pro, we explain that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your website to improve its ranking on search engines, which brings in more qualified and organic visitors. SEO works by improving your content, website technical health, and authority through backlinks.

The main pillars of SEO are:

On-Page SEO: Optimizing your site’s content, meta tags, and internal linking to make your pages relevant and understandable to search engines.

Technical SEO: Ensuring your website is fast, secure, mobile-friendly, and easy to crawl.

Off-Page SEO: Gaining authoritative backlinks and social engagement that increase your site’s trustworthiness.

Focusing on SEO will generate cost-effective and lasting organic traffic that is more sustainable than paid advertising. For a detailed explanation, visit the full article: What Is SEO?

[haysaprocky]

having an “I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY” moment

[impulsivelycontentious]

Look it up first; then call. Most efficient use of time and more likely to yield usable results.

one of the most infuriating things about becoming an adult is when you realize that it actually is 10x easier to solve problems by making a phone call vs literally any other communication method

[theweatherinmyhead]

Just thinking abt how much worse technology has been getting lately

[rathcoremarketing]

What Is an AI Overview and How Does It Impact SEO?  

Artificial intelligence is the genius brain behind the curtain, quietly reshaping the rules of SEO while most marketers are still fumbling with yesterday’s playbook.

So, what is AI overview​ in simple terms?

It’s machines thinking like humans, only faster, sharper, and with no coffee breaks. And if you’re still treating SEO like it’s a checklist, congratulations—you’ve already lost the game.

Here’s the blunt truth: AI doesn’t just help you rank higher; it redefines how search engines and users interact. It’s not a helper; it’s the boss, dictating terms in a language only the bold bother to learn.

Stick around, because by the end of this, you’ll either fear it or own it. Either way, pretending it’s not rewriting SEO is like ignoring gravity—it’s going to hit, and it doesn’t care if you’re ready.

What is an AI Overview?

Artificial intelligence is backbone of search engines like Google, quietly turning chaos into clarity while most users click through their top-ranked results without a second thought.

So, what is AI overview on Google?

It’s the cheat sheet that explains how AI does the heavy lifting—improving search rankings, interpreting intent, and serving up content that feels eerily tailored to your needs.

But why does this matter to you?

Traditional search ranking algorithms were built on rules; AI rewrites them with every query. Instead of relying on static factors like keyword density or backlinks alone, AI overviews provide the bigger picture—context, behavior, and relevance. For marketers, that means knowing how AI interprets search intent is no longer optional; it’s survival.

Take Google’s RankBrain, for example. This AI-driven engine doesn’t just crawl your site for keywords. It deciphers meaning, intent, and even nuances in phrasing. Compare that to the keyword-stuffed methods of yesteryear, and it’s clear that AI doesn’t just change the game—it rewrites the rulebook mid-play.

In short, understanding AI and SEO isn’t just about keeping up with trends; it’s about staying visible in a search engine optimization race that never hits pause.

Key Elements of AI Overview Optimization

Artificial intelligence doesn’t “work” the way humans do—it works better. Especially when it comes to SEO. Forget the days of stuffing keywords into your metadata like an over-packed suitcase. AI has stepped in, and it’s not playing by the old rules. If you’re still treating search engine optimization like a mechanical checklist, congratulations: AI just filed you under “outdated.”

So, what are the key elements of ai overview seo optimization?

AI Content Optimization: Smarter Content, Better Rankings

AI doesn’t just optimize content; it learns from it. Tools like Jasper.ai or MarketMuse analyze massive datasets to identify patterns, user intent, and content gaps. For marketers, this means you’re no longer guessing what works—AI already knows.

Example: AI can analyze which questions users frequently ask (e.g., “how does AI work?”) and ensure your content answers them naturally. This improves relevance and increases your chances of landing in featured snippets.

Use AI tools to find semantically related terms. This boosts your content’s authority without overloading primary keywords.

AI Search Ranking: The Algorithms Have Grown Up

Google’s RankBrain and BERT have redefined how search rankings are calculated. Instead of simply counting backlinks or keyword density, AI evaluates context, intent, and even tone.

RankBrain: Acts like an interpreter, understanding queries that have never been searched before. (Fun fact: 15% of Google searches daily are completely new.)

BERT: Specializes in understanding natural language, making it critical for long-tail keyword optimization and conversational search.

If your content isn’t aligned with how these algorithms “think,” don’t expect to rank anytime soon.

On-Page SEO: AI Gets It Done Faster and Cleaner

Let’s be honest: on-page SEO has always been a slog. Metadata, keyword placement, alt tags—it’s detail work that nobody loves. Now comes AI, your new efficiency machine.

Metadata: Tools like Clearscope or SurferSEO can generate optimized meta descriptions and title tags based on what users actually search for.

Headings: AI recommends structuring headings to match search intent, making it easier for search engines to “read” your page.

Keyword Use: Instead of cramming keywords, AI suggests natural integration, ensuring you stay relevant without sounding robotic.

AI is like your editor—only it doesn’t need coffee breaks and never misses a misplaced keyword.

Optimizing for AI Overviews: Think Bigger, Rank Higher

Optimizing for AI-driven overviews means focusing on what really matters: user intent and content relevance. AI prioritizes results that deliver the most value, not the ones with the fanciest keyword tricks.

Craft Intent-Driven Content: AI doesn’t care about fluff—it rewards actionable, focused content. Answer questions before your competitors do, and make sure your information is comprehensive yet digestible.

Enhance Readability: Break down complex ideas into simple, easy-to-follow sections. Tools like Hemingway Editor help ensure your writing is clear and concise.

Visual Data Integration: AI prefers content enriched with data-driven visuals or examples. Including tables or cited stats is expected.

The BERT and RankBrain Effect

The old SEO playbook is officially dead, thanks to Google’s BERT and RankBrain. These are machine-learning powerhouses rewriting how search engines evaluate relevance.

BERT: It’s like the mind-reader. It doesn’t just analyze keywords; it understands how words fit together in a sentence to capture subtle nuances.

RankBrain: While BERT handles language, RankBrain learns over time, adapting its interpretations based on user behavior. Essentially, it “gets smarter” the more people use it.

Together, these tools mean one thing: SEO is no longer about tricking the system; it’s about working with it. Write for humans, but optimize for machines. That’s how you win.

AI Overview SEO vs. Other SEO Strategies

Not all SEO strategies are the same. Some crawl while others sprint, and AI overview SEO? It’s not even on the same track—it’s rewriting the race entirely.

If you’re still relying on traditional methods or betting it all on content-first approaches, you’re operating in the slow lane while AI speeds ahead.

Here’s the breakdown.

Traditional SEO: The Manual Labor of Search Engine Optimization

Traditional SEO has long been the cornerstone of ranking strategies. It’s built on a foundation of manual optimization:

Researching keywords by combing through search data.

Optimizing metadata line by line.

Building backlinks one outreach email at a time.

Sound familiar?

Sure, these tactics still work—sort of. But compared to AI-driven automation, traditional SEO feels like chiseling a statue with a spoon when AI brings precision tools to the job.

Why AI Wins

AI automates labor-intensive processes like keyword research and competitive analysis. Instead of you guessing which terms drive traffic, AI predicts intent—the why behind every search. Google’s RankBrain, for instance, analyzes billions of data points to understand what users really mean when they type, “What’s the best strategy for SEO today?”

Content-First SEO: When Quality Isn’t Quite Enough

Content-first SEO is the darling of digital marketers who swear by the “if you write it, they will come” mantra. It focuses on crafting high-quality, human-centric content designed to inform and engage. And it works—sometimes.

Here’s the catch: great content still needs to be found. Now comes AI overview SEO, which enhances discovery by aligning with how search engines now rank pages.

Why AI Wins Again

AI doesn’t just improve content discovery; it actively enhances content quality. AI content optimization tools, like SurferSEO and Jasper.ai, analyze what’s working (and what isn’t) across thousands of articles in real-time. They suggest updates that boost relevance, ensuring your content satisfies user intent without compromising quality.

AI-Powered SEO Tools

You don’t have to choose between content-first or traditional strategies when AI tools integrate seamlessly with both. Tools like Clearscope and Frase bridge the gap by:

Optimizing Keywords: Identifying semantically related terms and intent-driven phrases.

Enhancing On-Page SEO: Automating metadata suggestions and readability improvements.

Streamlining Audits: Offering insights into what’s holding your content back and how to fix it.

These tools turn AI into your SEO co-pilot, helping you achieve faster, more precise results without abandoning the principles of quality or strategy.

Why AI Overview SEO is the Future

Look, AI and SEO are inseparable in today’s digital marketing landscape. Search engines have evolved from rule-followers to interpreters, prioritizing content that meets user intent at every level. Traditional strategies and content-first approaches will always have their place, but AI overview SEO is where innovation meets scalability.

When you align your SEO strategy with AI-driven tools and processes, you’re not just optimizing content—you’re anticipating how search engines think and adapt. And isn’t that the point? To stay ahead, not just keep up.

How to Rank in Google’s AI Overview Search Engine

Let’s be clear: Google’s AI is a full-scale rewiring of how content is ranked, served, and consumed. If you’re still clinging to outdated strategies and hoping for a miracle, you’re playing checkers while Google is busy mastering 4D chess. The good news is, AI search ranking isn’t impenetrable—it just requires precision, strategy, and a willingness to learn how the game has changed.

Understanding Google’s AI Overview

Google’s AI overview is the central nervous system of modern search engines. It’s not just about keywords or backlinks anymore; it’s about intent, context, and user satisfaction.

AI doesn’t process content the way humans do. Instead, it analyzes patterns, understands semantics, and prioritizes relevance. For example, when users search for “how to rank in Google AI overview search engine,” the system evaluates everything from query intent to content depth. It no longer relies solely on direct keyword matches but on how well your content aligns with what users actually need.

So, to rank in AI-driven search engines, you need to stop optimizing for robots and start optimizing for how robots think about humans.

Ranking Strategies for AI-Driven Search Engines

Here’s the blueprint for staying visible in an increasingly competitive SEO trend landscape.

Content Relevance Is King

AI isn’t impressed by fluff or filler. It evaluates content based on how effectively it answers a query.

Focus on user intent: Tools like Clearscope or Frase help pinpoint what your audience actually wants to know.

Leverage semantic SEO: Use related terms naturally to enrich your content without relying on awkward keyword stuffing.

Technical SEO Still Matters

AI might be smart, but it can’t compensate for poor technical foundations.

Ensure your site is fast, mobile-friendly, and free of technical errors.

Use structured data (schema markup) to help AI understand your content’s purpose.

Adapt to Google’s Algorithms

AI algorithms like RankBrain and BERT focus on understanding context and language nuances.

Write conversationally to align with how BERT interprets natural language.

Avoid vague or generic content. RankBrain prioritizes specifics that add value.

Focus on E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

Google’s AI overview heavily favors credible sources.

Use authoritative references, including active links to respected publications.

Regularly update content to ensure accuracy and relevance.

How AI Works in Search Ranking

To understand how AI influences rankings, you need to grasp two critical functions: data processing and pattern recognition.

Data Processing

AI sifts through millions of search queries, user behaviors, and content formats to determine what works. For instance, Google’s MUM (Multitask Unified Model) can analyze text, video, and images simultaneously, delivering a richer search experience.

Pattern Recognition

AI identifies trends and adapts accordingly. If your content consistently satisfies user queries (high dwell time and low bounce rates), AI boosts your rankings.

AI isn’t looking for perfect grammar or flashy design—it’s looking for results. If your content satisfies users better than the competition, the algorithm takes note.

The Role of AI in AI Overview Websites

AI is the cornerstone of optimization for AI overview websites. Its primary advantage is scalability. Instead of manually analyzing content, AI tools like SurferSEO or SEMrush automate the process, identifying exactly where you’re falling short and how to fix it.

These tools complement traditional SEO by:

Highlighting gaps in coverage: Are there unanswered questions? AI pinpoints them.

Suggesting better structuring: AI optimizes layout for readability and engagement.

Predicting ranking potential: By analyzing competitors, AI tools give you a roadmap for improvement.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Conclusion

AI overviews aren’t just shaping the future of search engine optimization—they’re bulldozing the old playbook. From content relevance to technical precision, Google’s AI systems reward those who adapt and leave the rest scrambling for scraps.

The key is simple: align with AI, don’t fight it. Prioritize intent-driven content, optimize for technical accuracy, and let AI-powered tools do the heavy lifting. In a world where ai overviews optimization dictates search rankings, success isn’t about keeping up—it’s about staying ahead.

The future of SEO is already here, and AI isn’t waiting for anyone to catch up. The question is, will your strategy rise with it or get buried in the SERPs? The choice is yours.

READ MORE...

What’s Happening to SEO? 8 Trends for 2025

[iratraining07]

How Does SEO Work Step by Step? A Complete Guide to Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a crucial digital marketing strategy that helps websites gain visibility and rank higher in search results. If you're wondering how does SEO work step by step, this guide will break down the search engine optimization process in detail. Whether you're new to SEO or looking to refine your strategy, understanding the SEO techniques for beginners will help you achieve better results and rank higher on Google.

[qasian-tech-support]

The loss of forums is also part of why you have to add "reddit" to the end of search queries on Google to find any human answers to your questions, instead of article and article of AI generated slop. Go and create your own forums for shit, and fight back against Discord

[dormouse-iii]

still use Google. What else am I gonna use?

How do you even use other search engines? If I want to find a video like... HOW??? There's no video tab & when I type "Video" I don't get videos???? How????????

Is this another computer babble thing where you need 80 years of training to understand it? Like "It's simple, it's a webcranker that runs a YUB into a LE curt & decouples your AURP into a ZILK data structure to avoid rendo-scrumming with the system KJ20s. Do a little research, lol!"

That aint research. That's a dedication of my life, years I will never get back. You don't understand, man. I have doo-doo caa-caa brain, I can't soak this stuff up like yall do. If my Vram-KJ20s don't line up with a specific VGB-muncher am I in danger??? What does this stuff mean? Everytime I look it up I find more alien robo babble-

WHAT THE HECK IS A "OS-level virtualization"? "Reproducible environment???" "Docker Container"??? SANS, LANS, VANS, CANS, YAML????? ITS LIKE A SPIRAL!!! Everything leads to a new TOME of vocabulary that means more mush in my head!!!

[hikarisouai-blog]

The perks of salary - during the off seasons, you get paid to do nothing at work except scroll social media looking for time to kill or something to do. You have weekly meetings detailing office shenanigans and how Sales is about to start a robot battle using modified Roombahs to showcase how good our firm is at the "techy nerd stuff". People want in and don't know the first thing about modifying, much less programming, Roombahs. But your team does - and your phone is blowing up from Slack messages. Teams from other offices you ain't ever heard from dub it the RoboDome. You and your coworkers at the same position/dept. across all branches are banned due to accusations of bribery, theft, and schematic alterations ripped from the iRobot website within the first few hours of the announcement. You become "consultants" for the participating teams, by accepting dog/cat pics, donuts, and covered shifts on holidays. You go back to scial media scrolling the rest of the week, before you remember that you don't need to even be at the office anymore (a habit of yours from the insane crunch period from last month) and file with HR for "work from home". You dread the upcoming crunch time in a few months so you pretend this is how work is done the entire year. You go to tumblr to view your favorite fandom trending and see Neil Gaiman' blog. You remember the dread of work in the last few 'crunches'. You doomscroll more. Still get paid to reblog.

The downsides to having a salary - you work overtime almost every day/week during crunch times with no OT pay or bonuses. You reenact a breakup scene everytime you leave your bed, it hasn't had the bedding washed in over a month, and your coworkers are all zombies begging for someone with brains (to come relieve them from the slog of chugging out code in PHP because one of our clients demanded it in that language). One of the clients called about a syntax typo that crashed everything on the user end and made their systems look "like the Matrix if it was a Scy-Fy knockoff". There's a programmer who has quit at the lunch table at least three times this week but can't officially send off his resignation because his wife is pregnant and needs his insurance benefits (she's doing her residency and can't afford shit). The coffee you reheated in your mug is from last week, and your breakfast of one wrinkly apple and half a bag of Veggie Straws was the only fresh thing you've seen in days. No one knows who is in charge of what, and you keep getting texts asking where you are hiding because all of you engineers owe the dept lead a program from last week that was due a month ago. You get the first email from the owner/CEO of the year, thanking you all from his office that he has been sleeping in for a few days now. There's 4 shareholders that you've never seen or met and they all want monthly updates from each dept. Someone's calling out because their kid is sick and you can taste the salt in the air. You are hiding with the other engineers in one of the 'executive' workstations, feeling like you are putting your forehead against a cheesegrater when you see the jumbled mess of PHP and what you think is PowerShell. You quietly type away and remind your coworkers and yourself, "I need this job".

Between all of this you have periods of normal, healthy, and productive periods of work. You stay at home, get up and shower and get to work, and you do all of your tasks from your living room. You come in for meetings once a month, excited to see people. On special projects you come in everyday. You see code and you see hardware and you see all kinds of cool things that made you fall in love with your career. You hate the "Big 4" in IT for corrupting and warping your industry. You hate what greed has done to necessary industries like IT, education, medical and public services.

You hate how everything that is a commodity eventually seems to turn into a necessity and in turn gets warped for profit and gains. Need a degree? Go get a pricey degree! Need medical attention? You need pricey insurance! You want to use public services? Sorry, we have underfunded those in the last decade or more. They aren't gonna be as helpful - or you can spend more money on this other useless service that kinda sorta works better and is more than the other one! (I'm looking right at you Amazon, and your stupid book subscription thing.)

You are sick of it, but because you make more money than should be possible at your workplace you try to suck it up and tell yourself that it's what you signed up for, like how retail workers know about Black Friday. So you suck it up. And go back to mindlessly scrolling through social media feeds while getting paid.

The benefits of salary: paid to browse.

The downside? Your career's enshittification has you regretting your life choices.

[foone]

Your posts are in an AI model

and then Tumblr decided to sell them to AI models.

Now, don't get me wrong, tumblr selling out the users to AI companies is bad, yes, they shouldn't do that. It sucks.

but don't lets get this confused: your posts were already in there. Tumblr selling them is about tumblr making some money and about the AI models having more exhaustive post collections. It's not about your posts being in an AI model, vs not being in one. That battle has already been lost.

Can you find your post on google? Then it's almost certainly in an AI model already. Think about it: These AI sites showed up before all the sites were making deals to sell their users' content, right? How do you think they built them in the first place?

They scraped the posts. Just like google and bing and such do when they build their search indexes.

It's a fundamental part of how the open web works: you want your posts on tumblr to be visible to users, right? You want them to be readable?* Like, look how much stuff broke when twitter changed their whole read-while-not-logged-in policy, ruining a bunch of thread links/NSFW links. And if it's visible, it's scrapable. That's what the AI models were built on.

I've done website scraping before (not for AI models, of course. I was doing search engines and website archival), this is just how it works. You hire a few relatively smart CS graduates and tell them "build me a scraper that'll give us a bunch of tumblr posts" and they go off for a month or two and come back with a database of a few billion posts, and you stuff that into your AI model. That's how they got all the deviantart and flickr and twitter and pinterest and so on posts. They didn't pay for them: they just took them.

They only ever pay for this shit because either:

they fucked up in such a way that the site might be able to sue them for taking rather than paying

They can buy them cheaper than they can finish taking them. Maybe they'd need to pay the CS grads for an extra month? well, that might be more expensive than just throwing the site a couple hundred thousand bucks.

ANYWAY: my point is, don't treat this "oh no tumblr is selling our posts to AI" like it's a big thing that might happen and it would be bad to happen. Yes, it's bad, tumblr shouldn't do this, this'll let AI models get continual updates of content for far easier than just scraping them would be, tumblr betrayed user trust, and so on...

but realistically, this is not a black and white matter of "if only tumblr didn't do this, then we'd be safe from AI models!"

Nope. We already lost that battle. I'm sorry, and it does suck, but that's just how it is. The avalanche has already started, it's too late for the pebbles to vote. * I'm assuming here that you don't run a private blog that's set to only followers or something. You'd be safer then, of course, but you're not really my target audience for this rant

[aniseandspearmint]

dunno if it's still doing it but right after actor Andre Braugher died, and you googled 'Andre Braugher cause of death' it was confidently saying 'Homicide'.

Because before he was on Brooklyn Nine Nine, Mr Braugher starred on a 90s cop drama called Homicide: Life on the Street and googles PoS AI was conflating the name of the show with cause of death.

today in "google AI is fucking useless because it hallucinates things that never happened", i bought a couple CVS thermometers that have both been acting up, tried to search if there had been a problem with the whole product line:

there is no record of this product recall. it did not happen. the date "feb 8 2024" is the date someone listed a thermometer for sale on ebay.