What are Metasearch Engines and when should I use them?

Metasearch Engines or meta-tools are search tools that allow you to construct a single search statement and then perform that search in multiple search engines simultaneously via a single search interface. Metasearch engines do not work the same way as traditional search engines because they must find a common way to run a search in all of the engines. For this reason, it is important to read through the help screens to determine the best way to enter in your search statement.

Metasearch engines offer very fast search speed as well as access to a large amount of web sites from the different search engines being used. Recently, meta-tools offer the user more options including control for limiting and displaying search results and choosing which search engines will be utilized. These changes have greatly improved the usefulness of metasearch engines. At the same time, it is good to be aware that these search tools have a tendency to retrieve very large sets of search results and are thus, not typically needed on a regular basis.

When Should I Use a Metasearch Engine

When your topic is fairly obscure (i.e. weaving apprenticeships)
When you have finished using one or more of the other search tools that retrieved a disappointing or low number of search results
When you need to do a comprehensive search of the Internet

Examples of Metasearch Engines

Metacrawler (http://www.metacrawler.com)
Ixquick (http://www.ixquick.com)
SurfWax (http://www.surfwax.com)
Dogpile (http://www.dogpile.com)