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Aug 20, 2002 Everyone has experienced the frustration of using the Internet, only to find that their search was unsuccessful. According to recent data, most people simply type the Url that they are looking for into the search box, which is evidenced by the two most popular all time search terms: www.hotmail.com and www.yahoo.com. Certainly with two plus hours spent searching for an exact match for a "search term" by the average Internet user, every one finds themselves asking the same question: How do search engines work? There are two main types of search tools available: Indexing services and Meta search engines. Part one of this series will concentrate on the largest indexing services as follows: 1. Google.com: One of the most visible (and largest) search engines out there, with over 2 billion pages indexed, Google has one of the more advanced calculators to find the best match for your search term. Over 150 million searches are performed on a per day basis, with searches arranged by images, sounds, etc. Translator service available. Downside: Takes a bit to get noticed for indexing, some material isn't as up to date as it should be. 2. All the web (FAST search): Google's chief rival, this search engine just topped Google's indexing prowess and now boasts 2.1 billion pages. Further breaks down searches by images and sounds, as well as offering a custom look and feel to its web searches to fit the user. Downside: Single search terms can be a nightmare, returning millions of indexed pages. 3. DMOZ Open Directory Project: The largest and most aggressive human edited "web index", all entries for the DMOZ are selected by editors from around the world. Results are used frequently by Netscape, AOL, Lycos, and Google, oddly enough. With over 51,000 editors and an equal amount of categories, it can take a tremendous amount of time for a new site to be put into the directory. Downside: Pains are taken to tell users they are only an indexing service, they don't "rank" sites although you can search from the site. 4. Yahoo: Similar in nature to the DMOZ, the Yahoo search engine is human edited and boasts a whopping 29% user reach, mostly due to the popularity of the web site. Difficult (and spendy: It runs $299/year for a commercial site just to be looked at, NOT necessarily listed) to get an inclusion, the Yahoo search engine is now relying on Overture (see below) for its sponsored link to bolster income. Downside: With the high cost of submission and over wrought staff, getting a site listed in Yahoo may be difficult, at best. 5. Overture: Overture is the latest incarnation of indexing services - the pay-per-click search engine. Indexed pages may "bid" on their placement for a given search term, and the order in which they're displayed are dependent upon the amount bid. Overture also supplies the sponsored links for Yahoo, MSN, and other high profile starting pages, giving them an 85% user reach. Downside: May take some digging to get the correct information. Given the variety of indexing services, and the way they generate revenue, can certainly skew the results. Part of the frustration shared by web users is there is no consistency or foreknowledge of how a particular site is rated or if its placed due to the amount of money the site owner had at his or her disposal. There are at the moment several movements in different levels of lawmaking that should make this disclosure more apparent. Until then, hold on tight, and keep searching! ------------ Next week: Meta searches, spidering, robots, and other web crawling search services. ------------ Clark Bartron has been a web designer and Internet researcher for over 6 years. Visit http://htmloquence.onlyhere.net and AskTheVillageIdiot.com for more information. Email Clark: cbartron@mail2webmaster.com Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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