Meta Search Engines

Meta Search Engines

HAVE YOU EVER thought about the volume of information that is available on the Internet? Do you every wonder if you have located the best information for the research you conduct? Do you ever use a search engine other than Google? In this lesson we will explore the advantages of using a meta search engine.

Objective:

? Evaluate Internet security threats and risk management.

Key Terms:

? crawlers Internet meta search engine query

search algorithm search engine index search engine spider search statement

web search engine world wide web

Meta Search Engines

WEB V. META SEARCH ENGINES

Web Search Engines

The Internet is an electronic communications network connecting computer networks around the globe. The world wide web is an information system on the Internet that allows documents to be connected to other documents through hypertext links. The world wide web provides countless opportunities for users to conduct research and share findings. The advancement of the internet has exponentially increased the amount of information available and the speed with which it can be accessed for consumers and producers. When an Internet search is conducted, a web search engine goes through its index of information to provide a list

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of results. A web search engine is a website that indexes and summarizes content on the world wide web. The search engine index is a database that could be compared to a library full of the documents and images found on the world wide web. Currently, the most popular search engine is Google. Others include Bing, Yahoo and Ask. A search engine spider crawls the web and stores information to be indexed with the search engine. Search engine spiders are also referred to as crawlers. As a spider crawls through the world wide web, it searches for new data to add to its search engine index.

FIGURE 1. A search engine spider crawls the web and stores information to be indexed with the search engine. Search engine spiders are also referred to as crawlers. As a spider crawls through the world wide web, it searches for new data to add to its search engine index.

Meta Search Engines

A search engine that provides results after searching the information of other search engines databases is a meta search engine. A meta search engine allows a user to enter one query (a request for information from a database) and obtain results from multiple sources.

More information may be obtained for research through meta search engines. Meta search results provide a broader, more complete picture. A search algorithm is a set of rules used to prioritize the results discovered when searching the search engine's index. Since different search engines use different search engine spiders and search algorithms, they may come up with different results. A researcher may miss important information if a single search engine's algorithm doesn't prioritize the information. Using a meta search engine also saves time by eliminating the need to conduct multiple searches from several web search engines.

Meta search engines frequently used include Yippy, Dogpile, Mamma, Creafy, StartPage, Metacrawler and Draze. Different meta search engines specialize in different areas. Mamma is

FURTHER EXPLORATION...

ONLINE CONNECTION: Google Advanced Search

Over time, Google has developed an "advanced search" option to compete with meta search engines. To learn more about advanced search options with Google, follow this link: advanced_search

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the best for news, videos and images. Vroosh is used for country-based results. TurboScout is the biggest meta search engine available and searches the results from other meta search engines.

SEARCH STATEMENTS FOR META SEARCH ENGINES

Composing a Search Statement

Meta search engine users should create a short search phrase that is usually at least three words in length with the most important word listed first called a search statement. Other guidelines for composing a search statement follow:

1. Using the + sign and the ? sign before words will force their inclusion or exclusion from the search.

2. Using lowercase letters will get more hits among the search terms.

3. Using quotation marks before and after certain connected words will force the engine to search for a phrase (e.g., "George Washington").

4. Practicing with various engines is essential, because no one engine can cover all the material on the Web.

FIGURE 2. A web search engine is a website that indexes and summarizes content on the world wide web. The search engine index is a database that could be compared to a library full of the documents and images found on the world wide web. Currently, the most popular search engine is Google. Meta search engines frequently used include Yippy, Dogpile, Creafy, StartPage, Metacrawler and Draze.

Summary:

2 A search engine that provides results after searching the information of other search

engines databases is a meta search engine. Meta search results provide a broader, more complete picture. A search algorithm is a set of rules used to prioritize the results discovered when searching the search engine's index. Since different search engines use different search engine spiders and search algorithms, they may come up with different results. A researcher may miss important information if a single search engine's algorithm doesn't prioritize the information. Using a meta search engine also saves time by eliminating the need to conduct multiple searches from several web search engines. Meta search engines frequently used include Yippy, Dogpile, Creafy, StartPage, Metacrawler and Draze.

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Checking Your Knowledge:

?

1. What is a web search engine?

2. What is a meta search engine?

3. What is a search engine spider?

4. What is a search algorithm?

5. What are some tips for conducting a meta search?

Expanding Your Knowledge:

L

Search engine optimization (SEO) has become an important part of marketing efforts for businesses' online activities. SEO techniques are used to encourage and drive traffic to business websites. SEO is similar to the use of hashtags on social media accounts. To learn more about search engine optimization, check out the Search Engine Optimization Guide from Google at webmasters/answer/7451184?hl=en. You may choose to conduct research related to SEO and creating effective search engine tags and descriptions on the Internet further.

Web Links:

:

Meta Search Engines

How Search Algorithms Work

Search Engine Optimization

Career Paths for SEO Specialists

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