Metasearchers or crawlers offer the possibility to do a search without having to consult every search robot separately. They function as an intermediary; they pass on the query to the search robots and afterwards order the results. This happens in two ways.
The first way presents the various search robots together on one page, all with their own text box. The user chooses a particular search robot, types the query in the text box, and activates the search. The advantage of such a page is that you can immediately go back to the Metasearch page and choose another search robot. One of the oldest is the ALL-In-One-Search Site.
A second type offers the possibility to type in a question once and then indicate in which search engine database, the search is to be carried out. If no preference is specified, the metasearcher chooses which database(s) to search.
The question is then simultaneously submitted to the chosen search engines. The results are presented either in a long list sorted as to relevance or as a list per search robot that is then sorted as to relevance. These metasearchers function as an intermediary; they pass on the query to the search robots and afterwards order the results.
The following metasearchers are useful tools to help you search
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This file prepared and presented as an aid to help students understand the web. Send questions or comments to Royce Shook