Web Searching Tools
“Errors, like straw, upon the surface flow,
He who would search for pearls, must dive below.”
John Dryden, “All for Love,” Prologue
As Randolph Hock says in his book, The Extreme Searcher's Guide to Web Search Engines, “the best way to really get to know the engines well is to use them.” However, everyone likes a little help, and so we have created charts of three types of search tools for the Web--general search engines, collections of selected websites, and meta-search engines. You can link to any of the cited search tools by clicking on them in the chart.
| Name | Strengths | Comments |
| Simple and straightforward, Google often provides a good list of relevant hits to your search. Indexes PDF documents, Word documents, and PostScript files, which other search engines don't touch. | A good place to start your Internet search. Google is often highly rated by users. It is one of the largest indexers of the Web. | |
| Google Image Search | Easy and fast with excellent results. Clicking on an image shows the image and the page from which it came. | If you are looking for images this is a great site to use. |
| Google Scholar | Searches “open-to-the-free-web” scholarly literature (papers, theses, books, articles, etc.). Provides access to some documents that are not indexed by databases. | Often does not link to the full text of articles, or requires a fee to link to full text. Try the advanced search tips. |
| Ask.com | Provides useful current event information about topics before any commercial sites. Unlike Google, this site tells you when it is filtering information and gives you the choice to view filtered pages You can also use Ask.com to search for images. | In addition to results, Ask.com gives
suggestions on how to narrow your search on the right sidebar. Click on  to view a thumbnail image of a page before you go to it. |
| Yahoo | Entries are selected by people and arranged by subjects. It is a good place to start a search. | Best of the old “Directory” style search engines. It was the first directory on the Web. |
| AltaVista | A huge index, like Google. Use the advance search feature for best results. Good for searching various types of images. | (Advanced search is recommended but may be difficult for beginners.) |
| Clusty (from Vivisimo) | Clusters search results into hierarchical categories. Also searches news, blogs, Wikipedia (encyclopedia built by readers), and “gossip” (from sources like National Enquirer!). Technically a meta-search engine. | Click on the “Customize” tab to add or subtract search tabs. Excellent source for focusing searches. |
| Mooter | Mooter allows users to view visuals of topic clusters and how they relate to one another. | Click “next cluster” if you don't see what you want, or just click “all results” to see everything. Mooter does not like the back button, so try not to use it. |
| AllTheWeb (Used to be Fast Search) | Third largest search engine after Google and WiseNut. According to one report by SearchEngine Showdown, delivers the most unique hits of the major search engines. Very large and provides excellent rankings. Search for News, Images, MP3s, FTP files, and Videos. | If you like Google, try AllTheWeb. Like many of the others you can do more advanced searching. |
| Name | Strengths | Comments |
| The Internet Scout Project | This directory (housed at the University of Wisconsin--Madison) has sites selected by professional librarians, educators and content specialists. Sites are screened for timely, accurate information. | The quick search box is in the upper right hand corner. Be sure to explore advanced searching by clicking on the “Scout Report Archives” link. |
| Librarians' Internet Index | Highest quality sites are compiled by public librarians. Good, reliable descriptions provided for sites. | Helpful for web research when you want sites that are considered authoritative and reliable. |
| Open Directory Project | A human-edited directory of the Web which is constructed and maintained by a global community of volunteer editors. | No ranking or promotion of websites. Open Source inspired, volunteer managed initiative (so quality may vary). |
| Infomine | Compiled by college-level academic librarians at the University of California campuses. Lists have reliable descriptions. | A good place to look for reliable, accurate sources of information. |
| Name/URL | Strengths | Comments |
| Ixquick | This one receives high ratings. Supports many types of advanced searching. | Brings the “best 10” from each engine and gathers the results for you. |
| Dogpile | Dogpile receives higher ratings when customized. (see comments). Like other meta-search engines, it will search several at one time. | Can be very inconsistent in its findings. For best use click on “change search order” and have it search Google, Infoseek, and AltaVista first. |
| Ever heard the expression, “Jack of all Trades and Master of None?” In general, Meta-search Engines try to be everything to all people, and so wind up being less useful than they look. We don't use these ourselves, but you're free to try them if you have some spare time on your hands... | ||
The lists in these tables are by no means exhaustive. They do represent a general consensus on what the helpful search tools are. If you are interested in finding out more about Internet search tools, check out the following links
- NoodleTools guide to search tools: Matches search tool to your information need. Doesn't come any better than this!
- Search Engine Showdown: Gives ongoing analysis, statistics, reviews, and comparisons of the major search engines
- UC Berkeley Library's Top Recommended Search Tools
- The Internet Public Library's Web Searching Page
- Linda Bertland's Guide to Search Tools
“...nor did he scape
By all his engines, but was headlong sent
With all his industrious crew to build in hell.”
John Milton, Paradise Lost