Module 1.3 Assignment

Background

Begin by reading the following, which will help you understand search engines from a web developer perspective:

• Google Webmaster Guidelines
• Google 101: How Google crawls, indexes and serves the web
• "How Search Engines Rank Pages"
• https://www.rankwatch.com/learning/content/13-how-do-search-engine-rank-web-pages
• Search Engine Features Chart" by Greg R. Notess
• http://www.searchengineshowdown.com/features/

Using Web Browsers

1. Click on the "Home" button in your browser.


1. What is the title and URL of the web page you are defaulted to?

   Google and http://www.google.com

2. Why did this appear? How can you change this default setting so that another web page automatically loads when you launch the web browser?

   This appeared because I use chrome and its the default setting. I can change that by editing the web address of the homepage in the browser's settings.



2. Can you change the appearance of web pages within your browser (e.g., the font face and size)? If so, how? Why would you want to?

   You can change the appearance by going into the settings and changing in the appearance menu of the settings the font and size. You would want to do it to make the browser more accessible to your needs.



3. What's the default search engine associated with your web browser? How do you get to it?

   The default search engine is google and all I have to do is open and new tab and hit the home button.

Searching the Web

4. Head to Google (http://www.google.com).


1. In the search box, type in learning to make web pages and click on the "Search" button. How many matches did you get? Visit a couple of the sites in the search results list. Can you estimate how many of the searches actually relate to learning to make web pages?

   I got 2,950,000,000 search results. I would say probably 25% would teach and most of the rest were services like wix or squarespace that you can use to build your own instead or learning how to use html.

2. Return to the front page of Google. In the search box, type in"learning to make web pages"(with quotation marks) and click on the "Search" button. How many matches did you get? Link to a couple of the sites in the search results list. Can you estimate how many of the searches actually relate to learning to make web pages?

   I got 22,000 matches. Most of the results were pages about learning how to. I got results from https://prezi.com/6pmjrrse7-vy/learning-to-make-web-pages-using-html/ and a former assignment submission from this class http://mason.gmu.edu/~jphan5/375/module1-2.html. However there were results like http://www.web-site-building-tips.com/learning-to-make-web-pages.html that didn't actually teach anything.




Repeat the same tasks for the following websites:

• Bing http://www.bing.com
• Yahoo http://www.yahoo.com
• Duck Duck Go https://duckduckgo.com/"
• Kartoo http://www.kartoo.com


5. Are the number of hits consistent across search engines? If not, what do you think accounts for the differences? After looking at each of the above search engines, in what cases would you use a search engine that is not your current default (most likely Google)?

   I would say generally the search results are consistent in the broadest of terms. The differences would be how some search engines take paid advertising to change the order of where something lands on the results list. This is prevalent with results like Google and Bing. I personally wouldn't change except to Kartoo for very specific reasons like looking for particular information that a library search engine wouldn't result with but that's just me. More often than not when I'm looking for something the answer is in the top of the search results.



6. Take a look at Wolfram Alpha(http://www.wolframalpha.com/). Is this a search engine? If not, what would you call it? If you decide that it is, list the reasons that you would classify it as a search engine.

   Its not really a search engine its more of a learning encyclopedia. It has areas of expertise that you can click through and learn.




Using Metasearch Sites

7. Head to Dogpile: http://www.dogpile.com.


1. What is the main difference between a metasite and a regular search site?

   A metasite sorts through a regular search sites results and turns out what a more direct result list.

2. Do a search for learning to make web pages. How many matches did you get? How are the matches organized?

   There are not as many results maybe a couple hundred. They seem for this search to be organized by trying to match intent. It still resulted in Wix and similar services being top results but after it did cut straight to actual learning material including a site that had a course on how to learn how to do it.

3. Visit a couple of the sites in the search results list. Can you estimate how many of the searches actually relate to learning to make web pages?

   I would say more like 50% not including the paid ad results.

Finding Multimedia Elements

8. Either head to one of the search sites we've already used or head to one we haven't yet used and explore the front page of the site.


1. Is there a way to search specifically for multimedia?

   Yes Google allows you to search for videos, images, etc.

2. If yes, what specific elements can you search for? What are your options? (If not, try another site!)

   You can search for news, videos, images, and books.

3. Do a search for a speciifc media item (e.g., your favorite song, a picture of Britney Spears). How many matches do you get?

   I got a billion results. Top results were the music video, a page linking to lyrics, and the Wikipedia article on the song.

4. Are there any warnings, disclaimers, or other information provided about using the results of your multimedia searches embedded in the search interface?

   There were not any warnings provided in the multimedia search.



9. Visit the Creative Commons site: http://www.creativecommons.org


1. What is creative commons? Why might you want to use this search engine for images and other media?

   Creative commons is a platform designed for use of sharing images and other media that are in the public domain.

Put it all together

10. Now that you have explored the world of search engines, reflect on the experience. What have you learned that might influence the choices you make as a web designer?

    I have learned that in order to be the best designer you need to think about how hard it is for the algorithm to recognize your site in the first place. So you should make it as clear and succint as you can, so it will recognize your site's purpose.