Web crawling is the process by which automated programs, known as web crawlers or spiders, systematically browse the internet to collect information from websites. These crawlers follow links on web pages to discover new content and gather data, which is then indexed for search engines like Google. This indexing helps users find relevant information quickly when they perform searches. The data collected by web crawlers includes text, images, and metadata from various websites. This information is stored in large databases, allowing search engines to provide accurate and timely results. Web crawling is essential for maintaining up-to-date search engine indexes and improving the overall user experience online.