Information Retrieval (IR) is the methodological process of extracting information from a specified source. In SEO terms, this most commonly refers to the moment a user submits a search query, which then triggers the search engine to extract data from its index to produce relevant results.
There are various techniques that can be utilized for Information Retrieval (IR), including manual collection, automated extraction, and specialized software applications.
Search engine bots employ automated IR. They rapidly scan an enormous volume of stored data (the index) to suggest possible answers that appear in the SERPs.
An IR system or program is fundamentally different from Data Retrieval (DR) because it performs analysis on the content’s meaning as opposed to simply querying a database. It delivers results based on relevance, but it does not guarantee an exact ‘match’ or a ‘correct’ solution. In short, it presents the user with possibilities rather than definitive solutions.