Hands up if you have Google set as your home page? Go on, don't be shy. You're not alone anyway, that's for sure. According to US firm Net Applications' NetMarketShare Internet Market Share Data, Google accounts for almost 85 per cent of all search engine traffic globally.

It's the undeniable market leader when it comes to search, and is where the majority of consumers internet journeys start. But have you ever wondered how exactly Google works?

For a long time magic beans or at least some kind of medieval conjuring remained a popular theory, but there is actually a great deal of science behind retrieving those results for a distributing volume of 'Is Lady Gaga a man?' searches.

Well, as luck would have it, long-time Guardian tech journo and pipe smoker Jack Schofield was kind enough to share a brilliant infographic of just how exactly your average Google search really works on his Twitter feed recently. It's an accomplished overview for those of you looking to explain in crystal clear detail just how Google pulls back the most relevant data from some 300 million searches a day, all in under a second.

So, wonder no more, and check-out this handy overview below:

Infographic by PPC Blog.

Dave