The most popular Search Engines
When you think of search engines the one thing dominating your mind might be: "Which engine should I use?" In some cases it does not really matter because search engines do not only compete with each other, but they also collaborate.
A lot of search engines use the technology of their competitors to present their own results; e.g. Ask uses Google's paid placements and Yahoo! used to take advantage of using Google's organic search. These relationships change constantly and so fast, that by the time you read this it will certainly have changed again.
For this reason the search engines included in Virtually Canadian's money back guarantee will also change from time to time. The following 10 most popular search engines are most likely included in our guarantee:
Alta Vista US
Website: www.altavista.com
Alta Vista first found a way to store every word of HTML pages on the Internet in a fast and searchable index. This fact led to Alta Vista's development of the first full-text, searchable database on the World Wide Web. Nowadays, the main results delivered by Alta Vista are compiled by Yahoo!. Because Alta Vista is now owned by Yahoo! the index is fully provided by Yahoo! and all inclusion is also handled by Yahoo!.
AOL US
Website: www.aolsearch.com
AOL's first introduction offered limited online services for a small market of personal computer users. With the reputation of easy to use Internet access and combined with Internet communities and special user friendly services, it has grown into the Internet ease of use standard. AOL's membership is more than 35 million around the world - with an average usage in the United States at about 70 minutes per day totaling 1 billion hours per month.
Ask US
Website: www.ask.com
Ask launched as a solution to humanize the online search engine experience. The company has more than 16 million unique users per month. The use of a butler as the company branding symbolizes the servitude Ask brings to help people quickly find accurate information without exerting effort. Users type questions into the search engine and it retrieves appropriate results.
Ask has acquired interactive search holdings thus now own web properties and businesses that include iWon, Excite and several other properties. Ask' main results are compiled spidering the web.
Excite US
Website: www.excite.com
Excite is a property of IAC Search & Media, as well as Ask.
Google US
Website: www.google.com
Google exists since 1998. After three years Google was conducting more than 200 million searches per day. Focusing on creation of the perfect search engine; one that "understands what you mean and gives you back what you want." Additionally, with a focus on infrastructure Google revolutionized quick searches. This focus of creating a more efficient search engine is a standard that has other search engine companies striving to catch up. Google maintains its own spider based index. Open Directory powers also Google's directory and the sites within Open Directory are ranked according to Google's link popularity technology. Moreover, Google provides AOL Search and Netscape with content.
HotBot US
Website: www.hotbot.com
HotBot is owned by Terra Lycos. Submission, no matter if free or paid, are handled through the Lycos website. HotBot's main results come from Yahoo!.
Lycos
Website: www.lycos.com
Lycos is one of the oldest search engines. The company has changed from a straight-forward search engine to a Yahoo! type of directory that includes news and shopping. In October 2000 Lycos was partnered with Terra.com, a Spanish and Portuguese-speaking online company.
Terra Lycos now owns the following web properties: Lycos.com, Terra.com, HotBot.com, Animation Express.com, Angelfire.com, A Tu Hora, Gamesville.com, htmlGEAR.com, Ivertia.com, Lycos Zone, Matchmaker.com, Quote.com, Raging Bull.com, Rumbo.com, Sonique, Tripod.com, Webmonkey.com, WhoWhere.com and Wired News.
Lycos' main results are compiled from other indexes and directories. The search engine receives its web results from a variety of sources: LookSmart, Yahoo!, MSN and Open Directory. Content from Lycos is not provided to any other search engine.
MSN
Website: www.MSNsearch.com
The company consists of its own editor team that monitors the most popular searches being performed. They hand-pick sites that are most relevant. Most of MSN's results are provided by its own index. MSN has discontinued the index relationship with Yahoo!, but continues its Overture paid listing program.
Netscape Netcenter US
Website: www.netscape.com
Netscape is owned by AOL Timer Warner and states its philosophy as ?he leading provider of open software that links people and information over the Internet and Intranets." Netscape Search uses Google for its main listings, just as AOL's other major search site, AOL Search. Netscape's main results are compiled spidering the web.
Netscape does not provide content to any other search engine, while it's primary search results are received from Google; as well as the sponsored section. Open Directory provides the results for Netscape's "Websites Categories" and "Reviewed Web Sites." It is no longer possible to submit your site to Netscape. To be listed on Netscape, it is necessarz to submit your site to Google or to Open Directory.
