What is a meta-search engine and how does it work?
A meta-search engine is a search tool that searches the databases of other search engines and/or directories. Unlike individual search engines and directories, meta-search engines do not maintain their own database of web pages; they do not collect, crawl, or index the web and they do not accept URL submissions. Instead, search queries are sent simultaneously to several search engines and/or directories. With that in mind, lets analyze how a meta-search engine works: Upon receiving a query, the meta-search engine translates the syntax and sends it simultaneously to a set of multiple search engines and/or directories. All results gathered from the varied sources are then collated to remove duplicates and ranked according to its algorithm. Finally, an organized and sorted list of web pages is presented to the user. There are many other details, but a thorough explanation of how a meta-search engine works is beyond the scope of this page.
