What is Meta Search Engine?
It is a search tool that uses multiple search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo and pulls together the output lists without crawling the web. Users are gaining more coverage with a single interface, which saves time and reveals results that every individual engine might omit. Some meta search engines shield queries, protecting user privacy and preventing tracking. While they do not rely on their indexes, meta search engines provide custom filters. Flexible filters and rank selection, including ranks outside of the search results, are the meta search engines’ added value.
Examples include Dogpile, which uses Google and Bing simultaneously; Metacrawler, which uses Yahoo and other search engines; and Startpage, which offers anonymous Google-based results.
Related terms: federated search, search aggregator, result splicing, vertical search