An Introduction to Search Engines
Put simply , a search engine is an application that helps users find information stored on a computer. Search engines differ from web directories such as the Open Directory: A web directory arranges links in categories and allows you to browse the categories; a search engine searches uncategorized information based on user input.
Popular Search Engines
These top four search engines account for more than 80% of all web searches:
Some other search engines include:
Meta-Search Engines
Meta-search engines search multiple search engines at once. While this may sound like a good idea, the results are mixed and can be misleading. The results displayed by a meta-search engine can never be better than results from the original search engines. Often times, they may be worse: Some meta-search engines blend sites that have paid for ranking and inclusion into the results from the original search engines, without telling you which is which.
We recommend using meta-search engines only after you've tried the more reliable search engines listed above.
| 
