The internet is humongous. Finding what you need means that you should select from amongst millions and sometimes trillions of search results. However, no one can claim for sure that you have found the right information. Is the information reliable and accurate? Or would you have to shop for another set of information that is even better? Or say, relevant to the query – While the Internet keeps growing every single minute, the clutter makes it even harder to catch up with, and perhaps, more valuable information keeps getting buried underneath it. Unfortunately, the larger the internet grows, it gets harder to find what you need.
Think of search engines and their browsers to be a set of information search tools that will fetch what you need from the Internet. But, a tool is as good as the job it gets done. While, Google, Bing, Yahoo, and the like are considered more generic tools for Internet search, they perform a “fit all search types job”. The search results throw tons of web pages at you and thus, much harder selections and surely less accuracy.
A simple solution to deal with too much information on the Internet is out there, but only if you care to pay attention – here is a List of Over 1500 Search Engines and Directories to cut your research time in half.
There exists a whole new world of Internet search tools that are job-specific and find that information you need through filtered and precise search. They subscribe to the same worldwide web and look through the same web pages as the main search engines, but only better. These search tools are split up into Specialized Search Engines and Online Directories.
The Specialized Search Engines are built to drill down into a more accurate type of information. They can collect filtered and less cluttered search results when compared to the leading search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo. What makes them unique is their built-in ability to use powerful customized filters, and sometimes it has its database to deliver the type of information you need in specific file formats.
We will classify Specialized Search Engines into Meta-crawlers (or Meta-SearchEngine) and the Specialized Search Engine Unlike conventional search engines, the Meta-crawlers don’t crawl the web themselves, and they do not build their own web page indexes; instead, they allow search snippets to be collected (aggregated) from several mainstream search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, and similar) all at once. They don't have their proprietary search technology or the large and expensive infrastructure as the main search engines do. The Meta-crawler aggregates the results and displays these on their proprietary search result pages. In short, they usually concentrate on front-end technologies such as user interface experience and novel ways of displaying the information. They generate revenues by displaying ads and provide the user option to search for images, audio, video, news, and even more options, simulating a typical search browsing experience.
Some of the well-known Metasearch Engines to explore.
- Info.com - This search engine claims to provide results from 14 search engines and pay-per-click directories, including Google, Ask Jeeves, Yahoo, LookSmart, and Open Directory.
- Excite.com - It can use a metasearch technology by aggregating from top search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, MSN, Wiki.Com, Ekoru, Searx, and similar.
- Monster Crawler - This meta-search engine allows a simultaneous multi-thread search of Google, Yahoo! Search Bing & with just one click!
- WebCrawler - Web Crawler is a metasearch engine the primary search engine that allowed for full-text searches...
- MetaCrawler - MetaCrawler is a free search service used for locating information available on the World Wide Web.
- Dogpile - It is a well-known meta-search engine among various meta-internet search tools. it collects information from Google, Yahoo, Yandex, and many other meta-search engines.
- PDF Search Engines – Searches for documents with the following extensions such as, .doc, .pdf, .chm, rtf, .txt.
The Specialized Content Search Engine focuses on a specific segment of online content; that is why they are also called Topical (Subject Specific) Search Engines. The content area may be based on topicality, media, and content type or genre of content – further to this, the source of material and the original function it performs in transforming it is what defines their specialty.
We can go a bit further and split these into three groups.
Information Contribution – The information source can be data collected from a Public Contribution Resource Engines as social media contributions and from reference platforms such as Wikis. Examples are YouTube, Vimeo, Linked-in, Facebook, Reddit. The other types are Private Contribution Resource Engines of the searchable database. These are created internally by the efforts of the search engine vendors; examples are Netflix (movies), Reuters (news content), Tineye (image repository), LexisNexis (legal information).
Specialized Function - These are the search engines that are programmed to perform a type of service that is proprietary and unique. They execute tasks that involve collecting web content as information and work on it with algorithms of their own, adding value to the result it produces.
An example of such types of search engines are websites such as the Wayback Machine Organization which provides and maintains records of website pages that are no longer available online as a historical record. Alexa Analytics performs web analytics and measures traffic on websites and provides performance metrics and Alpha Wolfram is more than a search engine. It gives you access to the world's facts and data and calculates answers across a range of topics.
Information Category (Subject Specific material) - This is where the search is subject-specific and based on the information it retrieves. It does this by a special arrangement with outside sources on a consistent basis. Some of their examples are found under the broader headings.
- Yellow Pages and PhoneDirectories
- People Search
- Government Database and Archives
- Public Libraries
- News Bureaus, Online Journals, and magazines
- International Organizations
A Web Directory or Link Directory is a well-organized catalog on the World Wide Web. A collection of data is organized into categories and subcategories. This directory specializes in linking to other websites and categorizing those links. The web directory is not a search engine, and it does not show numerous web pages from the keyword search. Instead, it exhibits a list of website links according to category and subcategory. Most web directory entries are not commonly found by web crawlers. Instead, they are searched by humans. This categorization encompasses the whole website instead of a single page or a set of keywords; here the websites are often limited to inclusion in only a few categories. Web directories often allow site owners to submit their site for listing and have editors review submissions for its fitness.
The directories are distinguished into two broad categories.
Public Directories that do not require user registration or fee; and the Private Directories with an online registration that may or may not be subject to a fee for inclusions in its listings. Examples of Paid Commercial Versions.
The Public Directories is for General Topics, or it can be Subject Based or Domain-Specific Public Directories.
The General Topics Directory carries popular reference subjects, interests, content domains, and subcategories. Their examples are, DMOZ (The largest directory of the Web. The open content is mirrored at many sites, including the Google Directory (until July 20, 2011). The A1 Web Directory Organization (This is a general web directory that lists various quality sites under traditional categories and relevant sub categories). The PHPLink Directory ( A Free Directory Script phpLD is released to the public as a free directory script in 2006, and they continue to offer this as a free download).
The Subject Based or Domain-Specific Public Directories are subject and topic-focused. A more famous of these are Hot Frog (a commercial web directory providing websites categorized topically and regionally). The Librarians Index to Internet (directory listing program from the Library of California) and OpenDOAR (This is an authoritative directory of academic open access repositories).
The PrivateDirectories requires online registration and may be subject to a fee for inclusions in its listings.
Examples of Paid Commercial Versions.
- Starting Point Directory - $99/Yr
- Yelp Business Directory - $100/Yr
- Manta.com - $299/Yr
The Directories that require registration as a member, employee, student, or subscriber. Examples of these types are found in.
- Government Employees Websites (Government Secure Portals)
- Library Networks (Private, Public and Local Libraries)
- Bureaus, Public Records Access, Legal Documents, Courts Data, Medical Records
