A Reflection of Search Engine Strategies

Information retrieval and search engines are almost synonymise. Usually search engines are employed to perform the search activity. If search engines merely return search results without much analysis, a user will be overwhelmed with search results. The aim is to return results that are relevant and not cornucopia of search results. Search engines today utilise many methods in order to provide users with relevant search results. Relevant results can only be provided if search engine strategies are able to discern the users’ information seeking goal. However the tremendous growth of the Internet and the variety of users using the search engine make it difficult for search engines to satisfy the user’s diverse information seeking goal. Today users demonstrate various nuances while searching; parallel searching, multiple information seeking goals in a single search session and the use of multiple browsers for a single search. It has become pressing that search engines take into account these search behaviours in the attempt to provide users with relevant search results. In this paper we discuss three methods: query expansion, user search history and re-ranking- in an attempt to provide searchers results that match their information needs. These methods are common strategies used by search engines. Unfortunately, these techniques are not satisfactory when assessed against providing users with relevant results. We also provide insights to a new direction that search engines have venture into. Rather than just limiting search strategies to technical implementation/aspect, the bigger picture of the search process and the user needs to be looked into.

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