Indexing is the process of organizing data to make it easier to retrieve and manage. In databases, an index acts like a table of contents, allowing users to quickly find specific information without having to search through all the data. This improves the speed and efficiency of data retrieval. In the context of search engines, indexing involves crawling the web and storing information about web pages. When a user enters a query, the search engine can quickly access its index to provide relevant results. This process is crucial for enhancing user experience and ensuring that information is readily available.