Search Engines Explained A search engine is a set of programs which use the brute force of a computer to build searchable indexes to information found on the Internet. One part of the search engine, called a robot , moves through the Web following links and capturing information. Another part of the search engine, called an indexer , organizes the information found by the robot.
Search engines analyze word content and organize the millions of Web pages they find.
Search engines often take advantage of descriptive information found in meta tags, included in the head section of HTML documents. Finally, search engines allow users to search, display and organize the information located in their index. The University of Texas at Austin.