Search engines are internet encyclopedias that allow us to find and filter out relevant information. With any given search engine, it takes some skill to find exactly what you are looking for. You must understand how the search engine works and how your search queries are interpreted.
More advanced search engines will meet you halfway, by providing forms for advanced searches, better interpreting your queries, suggesting keywords, or finding unusual context.
In this article I introduce five search engines with such advanced features.
General Search
Whenever you are looking for written information, the general search engines will do the trick. The advanced search gives access to additional features that easily let you refine your search query.
Why?
- keeps setting new standards.
- comprehensive, yet easy to use interface.
- excellent search term suggestions.
Reverse Image Search
While most general search engines can search for images based on file names or tags, more advanced search engines can read the image and make its content searchable.
TinEye
Why?
- creates an image fingerprint.
- does reverse image search based on the fingerprint.
- reveals where and how images are used.
Similar Image Search
Similar image search doesn’t recognize exact copies of a given image, but similar features, such as color, texture, or structures within the image.
[NO LONGER WORKS] GazoPa
Why?
- extracts general image characteristics, such as color and shape.
- searches similar images based on their general characteristics.
- works with uploaded images and image URLs.
Invisible Search
Information that is stored in databases is largely invisible to standard search engines because they merely index the contents of websites, following one link after the next. Invisible search engines specialize in hidden data in the so-called Deep Web.
CompletePlanet
Why?
- access dynamic databases.
- search within data range.
- well-documented help section.
Semantic Search
Semantic search is concerned with the exact meaning of a search term, its definition and the search context. Search engines based on semantic search algorithms are thus better at eliminating irrelevant results.
Why?
- choose intended meaning for ambiguous terms.
- save a myriad of personal settings.
- search other search engines from DuckDuckGo using its !bang feature.
