blaskarna: What Is an Algorithm, and How Does Googles Algorithms Work

Algorithms control our lives in many ways, more than we ever know.

Almost everything we do on the internet is prevented by algorithms and in other areas, the algorithm rules too.

As you know, when you search for something, let's say a book in a bookshop on the net, you often get tips on other books others have bought when looking for the same book as you.

The bookshop predicts what we want to know, as if we were cheap, following each other.

Like we are interested in the same books if we are searching for a particular book.

Isn't it sad, we read the same, and don't find new things to read?

Shouldn't it be better if random books are shown to us, so we find something new and learn something new?

Should we all follow the same paths?

What controls that?

In most cases, it's one of those famous algorithms we hear about.

By the way, the algorithm is kind of a funny word, I think, more like a sound when you don't feel well.

Oh, I am not feeling well, I have to go and algorithm.

The word algorithm was formed from algorism, the system of Arabic numerals, a word that ultimately stems from the name of a 9th-century Persian mathematician.

Could algorithms be dangerous?

Algorithms are based on what we know now, if we all follow what algorithms are producing, would, or could, the world make us stereotypical?

Can the algorithms predict the future, and even discover new things?

There are many questions I need an answer to, so to understand it a bit, I will try to dig deeper into the subject in this article.

First of all, what is an algorithm?

What Is An Algorithm, and How Does It Work?

In its most basic sense, an algorithm is a series of instructions that tells a computer how to turn a collection of facts about the world into useful information, step-by-step, to accomplish something useful or to solve a problem.

In the context of computer science, algorithms are often used to process and analyze data, such as searching for information in a database or sorting a large dataset.

Algorithms are typically implemented using a programming language, and they can be executed by a computer to perform a wide range of tasks, such as sorting a list of numbers, calculating the shortest route between two points, or recognizing speech or images, the algorithm is not an entire program or code, it is the simple logic for solving the problem.

You could think of a programming algorithm as an instruction book, which describes specific steps required by the computer to solve a problem or achieve some goal.

One of the key characteristics of an algorithm is that it must be precise and well-defined, with clear instructions for each step of the process. This allows algorithms to be implemented and executed by a computer consistently and predictably.

In addition to their use in computer science, algorithms are also used in a variety of other fields, such as mathematics, engineering, and finance. In these fields, algorithms are often used to solve complex problems or to perform complex calculations.

The output allows computers to chain algorithms together in complicated ways, producing even more algorithms.

Algorithms are unable to forecast the future with perfect precision. There are always unforeseen elements that can affect the future, even if computers can be trained to make predictions based on patterns and trends they uncover in data. As a result, it is recommended to treat any predictions provided by algorithms as a best guess rather than a firm conclusion and to be viewed with some suspicion.

They say that Artificial Intelligence (AI), a set of algorithms, is becoming more intelligent.

Is it so?

What is intelligence?

Robert Sternberg developed a theory of intelligence, which he titled the triarchic theory of intelligence. The theory sees intelligence as comprising three parts, practical, creative, and analytical intelligence, I think that is a relevant theory. But there are a lot of other theories, perhaps relevant too, it depends on who you ask, I think.

Could Artificial Intelligence combine all those three parts?

Can Artificial Intelligence be creative and make things in an analytical, practical new way?

Artificial Intelligence is predictable, as far as I understand, basically based on what we know now, not the unknown. The unknown does not have any statistics, by natural causes.

Is there a risk that we won't develop and progress in knowledge, as Artificial Intelligence is more common?

Photo Mitchell Luo

Googles Algorithms

The most typical algorithms we all are affected by when we are using the internet, are the algorithms controlling the search engines we are using.

How does that work?

Google algorithms are the complex processes used by Google to rank websites in its search engine results. These algorithms take into account several factors, including a website's functionality and user experience as well as the content's relevance, quality, and authenticity.

The use of keywords on a website, the content's relevance to the user's search query, the website's credibility and quality, and the number of other websites linking to it are some of the elements that are known to be taken into account by the algorithms. To ensure that users can find the information they are looking for, Google uses these algorithms to deliver the most relevant search results.

The best links related to your search query should, in theory, appear first on Google's Search Engine Results Page (SERP) because higher-ranking pages appear higher on the page.

To give its users the most relevant and helpful search results, Google employs several algorithms. In response to user behavior, emerging technologies, and other elements, these algorithms are constantly evolving and changing. It is difficult to say exactly how many algorithms Google uses, as the company regularly updates and refines its search algorithms.

These are the best-known algorithms google is using:

PageRank Algorithm

The PageRank algorithm is one of the most well-known Google algorithms.

The PageRank algorithm calculates a rough estimate of the importance of a website by counting the quantity and quality of links, so-called backlinks, pointing to a page. The underlying premise is that more significant websites will probably get more links from less important websites.

The PageRank algorithm operates as follows:

Every website is given a starting position, which is usually established by the quantity and quality of incoming links.

Following that, the algorithm examines each incoming link and delivers its rank to each one while taking into account the significance of the page it came from. For instance, a link from a page that ranks highly will have a greater effect on the page's rank.

Up until the completion of all pages' ranks, this process is repeated.

The ability to prioritize search results so that the most relevant and significant results are displayed at the top of the list is one of the key benefits of the PageRank algorithm. This makes it simpler for users to find the information they need and ensures that only the highest-quality and most useful content is displayed.

The PageRank algorithm has been used in a variety of contexts besides search engines, including network analysis and the detection of social media influencers.

Hummingbird Algorithm

The Hummingbird algorithm is another significant Google algorithm. Instead of just looking at the words in a user's search query, this algorithm concentrates on the meaning behind it. The results are more closely aligned with the user's intentions because it makes use of natural language processing to understand the context and search intent.

The Hummingbird algorithm's capability to process a query's full meaning rather than just individual words is one of its key features. As a result, Google can respond with more relevant and precise information in response to complex and conversational search queries.

For instance, a user might ask, "Where is the closest restaurant?" To deliver results that are suitable to the user's location, the Hummingbird algorithm can understand that the user is looking for a nearby location.

The Hummingbird algorithm considers the context of each question as well as the content of distinct web pages in addition to its improved understanding of the meaning of questions. This means that even if the search terms do not appear on the page, they can still deliver more relevant and accurate results.

BERT Algorithm

Researchers at Google have created the natural language processing algorithm known as BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers). BERT is an important component of many natural language processing applications, including language translation, text summarization, and question answering. Its goal is to improve how computers understand and process human language.

The BERT algorithm's use of bidirectional processing is one of its main innovations. In natural language, the words that come before and after a word can frequently affect how that word is understood. Although this can limit their precision, the majority of natural language processing algorithms only take into account the words that come after a specific word.

By employing a bidirectional strategy, which takes into account the words that come before and after a given word to better understand its meaning, BERT overcomes this limitation. This enables BERT to perform at the cutting edge on a variety of natural languages processing tasks, such as text summarization and language translation.

BERT uses a transformer architecture in addition to its bidirectional approach, which enables it to process a sizable amount of text data reasonably efficiently, and effectively. Because of this, BERT excels at large-scale natural language processing tasks like text summarization and language translation.

The BERT algorithm has the potential to increase the precision and speed of many language-based applications, making it a significant advancement in the field of natural language processing overall.

Penguin Algorithm

An important component of Google's search engine technology is the Penguin algorithm. Penguin was first released to identify penalized websites that use so-called "black hat" SEO strategies like keyword stuffing and link spamming.

Black hat manipulates a website's ranking on search engine results pages, SEO refers to unethical tactics. These actions frequently constitute violations of the terms of service of the search engine and may give users poor user experiences such as spammy or bad-quality search results.

The backlinks, or links pointing to a website from other websites, are what the Penguin algorithm looks at to determine the value and relevance of a website. The algorithm will penalize a website by lowering its ranking on search engine results pages if it discovers that it is using black hat SEO techniques to manipulate its ranking.

The Penguin algorithm's ability to guarantee accurate, high-quality results for a search query is one of its main benefits. The algorithm supports fair competition and raises the standard of search engine results by penalizing websites that use black hat SEO techniques.

The Penguin algorithm is regularly updated to increase its accuracy and usefulness in addition to its role in identifying and punishing black hat SEO techniques. Website owners can take action to make sure their websites are compliant with the most recent version of the algorithm after Google commonly announces these updates.

In general, the Penguin algorithm plays a significant role in the technology behind Google's search engine and contributes to the maintenance of relevant, spam-free, and high-quality search results.

Panda Algorithm

Google created the Panda search algorithm to raise the caliber of its search results. This algorithm's goal is to identify websites with a light or low-quality content and degrade those pages in the search results.

The caliber of the content on a website is one of the important factors that the Panda algorithm considers. Websites that offer helpful, educational, and well-written content typically have a higher chance of appearing higher in search results. On the other hand, low-quality or sparsely written websites may see their rankings drop.

The Panda algorithm takes into account factors other than content quality, such as a website's user experience. A website that is challenging to use or loads slowly, for instance, might be ranked lower in the search results.

Google continuously updates and improves the Panda algorithm to maintain the high caliber of its search results. This implies that the factors the algorithm takes into account and how it evaluates them may alter over time.

In general, Google's efforts to give users the most pertinent and high-quality search results include the Panda algorithm. The Panda algorithm aids in ensuring that users can quickly and easily find the information they need by identifying and degrading low-quality content.

To enhance the functionality and user experience of its search results, Google also employs additional algorithms. While the Mobile-First Index algorithm gives preference to mobile-friendly websites in its search results, the Speed Update algorithm rewards websites that load quickly with higher search rankings and many more.

It is important if you want to increase your chance of ranking highly in Google search results and reaching your target audience by understanding and adhering to best practices for SEO. This may help to boost website traffic, draw more potential visitors to your website and ultimately boost sales if you have that kind of business.

Graphic Lars Pettersson

Summary

Google uses many algorithms for search results, these algorithms take into account many factors, including a website's functionality and user experience as well as the content's relevance, quality, and authenticity.

For example, the PageRank algorithm calculates a rough estimate of the importance of a website by counting the quantity and quality of links pointing to a page.

The Hummingbird algorithm is another significant Google algorithm. Instead of just looking at the words in a user's search query, this algorithm concentrates on the meaning behind it.

Google uses algorithms to give the audience better search results, and sort out spam and uninteresting information, it is a never-ending race no one will win, where web page developers, money makers, and businesses try to find new ways to overcome the algorithms, and Google stops them.

Website owners should take action to make sure their websites are compliant with the most recent version of the algorithm after Google typically announces these updates.