Metasearch Tools, what are they? Options

[lizzielu]

An excerpt from an email that I need help deciphering:

You can also use MetaSearch tools to consolidate the results from multiple engines to
simplify them.

The email thread was about link building and a webmaster sent this message. What is he referring to?

Thanks, Liz

[qwerty]

Metasearches, like excite, metacrawler or dogpile, consolidate the results from numerous search engines on a single results page.

[lizzielu]

Ok. I guess I'm still not clear.

How does this affect link popularity?
How does one submit to/use a metasearch tool?

Thanks. liz

[qwerty]

It doesn't, and you don't (IMG:http://www.highrankings.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) (That is, you don't submit to it. To use it, you just query it like any SE.)

On some metasearches, you get the results with little notes for each listing showing where the page ranks in a particular engine, like "Google - 4, Yahoo - 8". In others, they just use their own formula to consolidate the results from numerous SEs and display them as their own.

I suppose that if you use a metasearch and your site comes up on top, you can draw the conclusion that you rank well on all the search engines the meta is using.

As far as link building goes, I don't see any real advantage, except that you're seeing top results from numerous SEs at once. But if some page ranks well on Yahoo, but barely shows up in Google and Teoma, you might not see it at all. I don't think it's a great way of finding potential link partners unless you're limiting yourself to sites that rank well everywhere.

[Debra]

Metacrawler - "MetaCrawler uses innovative metasearch technology to search the Internet's top search engines, including Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, About, Teoma, FindWhat, LookSmart, and many more. "

Dogpile - "Dogpile uses innovative metasearch technology to search the Internet's top search engines, including Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, About, Teoma, FindWhat, LookSmart, and many more. "

Both owned by Infospace Inc.

Beside Google and Yahoo! the rest appears to be paid inclusion/PPC engines. Not particularly helpful in link building as a result.

But! In both Metacrawler and Dogpile, you can configure your results by search engine by going into the Preferences section and changing the default. That will help you quickly compare between Yahoo! and Google.

I'd also add Teoma to that list since they rank exclusively on topic relevancy.

[GeordieSEO]

Mamma is also a metasearch engine

[Debra]

Yep, and as with the other two, you can check the engines you want - http://www.mamma.com/psearch.html

[sguru]

some metasearch engines offer a new technology called document clustering as in vivisimo.com.

This new one: www.qksearch.com goes even further by offering document clustering, conventional blended search and dogpile like split search together.

metasearch is useful for those who want to scan all major engine instantly

This post has been edited by qwerty: May 21 2004, 05:22 PM

[arnaudfischer]

Agreed, I am not sure I understand how meta search tools could help your link building project.

You can actually submit your pages to some meta search engines like dogpile.com 2 different ways:

1) - <500 URLs: click on the "Submit Your Site" link at the bottom of dogpile.com - 'https://secure.ah-ha.com/guaranteed_inclusion/teaser.aspx?network=dogpile

2) - >500 URLs: you can work with most large Search Engine Optimization firms to participate into Trusted Feed programs that will include your pages into MetaSearch results.

I hope this helps.

This post has been edited by qwerty: May 21 2004, 05:23 PM

[qwerty]

Welcome, sguru and arnaudfischer (IMG:http://www.highrankings.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)

Just to let you know, I had to edit the links out of your posts. If you check our forum guidelines you'll see that you need to have made 20 posts before you can link out from a forum post.

[lyn]

If I'm following this right, the only actual value of a metasearch from an SEO standpoint is that you can get a view of which SEs you are appearing in, all on one page.

Is that close?

L.

[Scottie]

Welcome arnaudfischer and sguru! (IMG:http://www.highrankings.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/bye1.gif)

Yes Lyn, I think that's what the article is saying. You can quickly check the top rankings on the major search engines from one site.

Articles like this are why Wordtracker counts are screwed up- their data comes from the metasearch engines. (IMG:http://www.highrankings.com/forum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[lyn]

...Wordtracker counts are screwed up

I've never used Wordtracker myself. Does the keyword tool at Overture have the same problem?

L.

[Jill]

Overture is hundreds of times worse, imo.

[lyn]

So, is Wordtracker as good as it gets?
Or is something better out there?

L.