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Searches |
Some enterprising Web page creators have designed pages that allow access to several search engines from a single page. Such pages fall into two main categories – those that use one search engine at a time and those that use multiple search engines simultaneously. One-at-a-Time Search Sites These sites let you use any one of a number of search engines from a single page. Other than that, they offer few, if any, advantages over using the same engines' home pages. In fact, you usually lose some flexibility in searches; most of the sites in this category don't offer the options that each search engine's home page provides – especially in the engine's own advanced searching mode. Most of these pages operate in one of two ways. One format calls for entering search terms in a box and then selecting which search engine will handle the inquiry. The other lists each search engine separately. You have to enter the search terms in a separate box for each engine that you want to use. Head here for links to some of these pages. Metasearch Sites When you use a metasearch site, the terms that you enter are submitted to more than one search engine at one time. The actual number of engines available varies by site. When the results page appears, you see hits from each search engine. In most cases, the hits will be grouped by search engine. As is the case with single-search sites, the tradeoff for using many engines simultaneously is that you lose flexibility with fine-tuning searches. The result of using Boolean operators is usually unpredictable. In some cases they may not work at all. Head here for links to some sites that let you search with more than one engine at a time. |