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Exploring the Search Engine Path Less Traveled
Copyright (c) 2008-2023 Trey Pennewell
The vast majority of internet users will use a search engine occasionally, if not frequently. Search engines are routinely included in browsers, no matter if you use Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera, or Netscape, with the intent of saving the user time.
It may seem odd to talk about saving time on the internet. Thinking back to 15 years ago, the internet was just starting to burst into mainstream America. The speed and reach of the internet was mind-boggling at that time. Now we've come so far with the technology that we actually find ourselves wanting better and faster results.
As is true with nearly all technology, the internet has evolved to be something much different than it was 5, 10, and certainly 15 years ago. But have internet users evolved in the way they use the internet?
We know that humans are creatures of habit. Most of us like to do what we're familiar with, see who we already know we get along with, and go places we already know we like. I think it's fair to say that the same can be applied to our internet habits.
New programs, applications, and websites are constantly being created and marketed to users. The ones that get a lot of media attention have a good chance of getting users to at least test them out, even if it's just on a trial basis.
However, there are other sites on the internet that have been around but aren't getting the attention they deserve. Let's go back to search engines. Most people are familiar with the "Big Three" of engines - Yahoo, MSN, and Google. If you've paid attention to web trends over the years, you know that each has had their heyday, with Google probably receiving the most attention in recent years.
This is a good illustration of the fact that what is popular one year on the web may be at the bottom of the list the next year. Does anyone remember when http://www.webcrawler.com or http://www.excite.com were touted as the destination search engine? It's all a part of the natural evolution and progression of search engines.
Another evolution of the search engine is the creation of the meta search engine. Meta search engines are similar, in that you type in a term or phrase to be searched. The meta search engine then gathers results from several different search engines, compiles them, and presents them in its own search results page.
The results from a meta search engine will vary, depending on which other engines the meta engine is pulling from. http://www.Dogpile.com, for instance, pulls results from Google, Yahoo!, MSN, http://www.Ask.com, http://www.About.com, http://www.MIVA.com, http://www.LookSmart.com, and others. This quickly accomplishes what would take a user much more time to open all those browser windows and type in the same search term over and over again.
However, Dogpile does receive criticism for its compiled search results page. The sponsored results are mixed in with the "real" results, which can be confusing if you're not paying attention. It's also hard to believe that the search results are in any particular order of relevance when broken up with those sponsored results.
Another search engine, http://www.Widow.com, uses a tried and tested algorithm to compile its results and then order them in relevance, without sponsored results. When doing a side-by-side comparison of the five top search engines (Yahoo, MSN, Google, AOL, and Fastsearch), you'll see that Widow.com comes up with not only the most highly ranked results, but some very useful links that the other engines didn't pull.
To illustrate my point, I looked at how the different search engines handle a specific search word. If we take a term that has been in the news a lot lately, "foreclosure", and type that in to different search engines, we'll see different results.
Not surprisingly, Fastsearch had no results on "foreclosure." Though it is one of the top search engines, its focus is on business and information technology. So it's really not going to be relevant for anything beyond those topics.
All of the other search engines (five of them!) had one or more sponsored results at the top of the page. Dogpile.com, as I previously warned you, had the most sponsored ads - an astounding 10 sponsored ads on the first results page. Plus, they're all mixed in with the other results, with just a note at the bottom to let you know it's an ad or otherwise paid for result.
The only search engine that returned no sponsored results or ads was Widow.com. It sorted through the results, performed its algorithm magic, and produced variety and depth in its results page. Better yet, Widow has a nifty search term bar on the left hand side that allows you to pull up search results for related terms. Talk about saving time and energy!
Of course, the main reason search engines were developed was because the internet is so expansive. No human can search the entire web on their own, hoping to stumble upon the answers and information they're seeking. Search engines are tools to help users find pertinent information in a timely manner.
Taking a traditional approach to search engines is fine if you have the time, the motivation, and the desire. Sometimes the best drives are the ones where you only have a vague destination, right? So I suppose the same can be true of using one of the top five engines we've mentioned.
But sometimes, thinking outside of the box, can not only inspire new ways of thinking, but can help push you or your research in a different, better direction. The most efficient way to do that is to utilize a meta search engine. Try stepping outside of your usual search strategies and see for yourself why it "is" sometimes greener on the other side of the fence. There's a whole wide world (web) to discover and explore!
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Subscribe to the Traffic Tips mailing list and get a 25-page PDF that teaches how to get more traffic from Google. Then, go to http://WritingPuzzle.com/ to find training guides for writers and article marketers. Trey Pennewell has been creating content for the Internet since 2005.
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Top-Level Category: Internet Articles
10 Most Recent Articles Written by Trey Pennewell
Getting Better Research Materials By Using Better Search Tools
Written by: Trey Pennewell |
Distributed: 2012-12-18 |
Word Count: 1094 |
Page Views: 6482
| Votes: 15 |
Rating: 2.07
Today, for those seeking to discover riches, or at least a decent
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Written by: Trey Pennewell |
Distributed: 2012-12-11 |
Word Count: 990 |
Page Views: 8619
| Votes: 19 |
Rating: 2.37
I read a message on a forum the a while back where a new
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Written by: Trey Pennewell |
Distributed: 2012-12-04 |
Word Count: 892 |
Page Views: 6841
| Votes: 21 |
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Written by: Trey Pennewell |
Distributed: 2012-11-26 |
Word Count: 1133 |
Page Views: 6550
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 0.40
Everything online requires content, and articles are just
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Distributed: 2012-11-20 |
Word Count: 993 |
Page Views: 6824
| Votes: 6 |
Rating: 1.00
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Written by: Trey Pennewell |
Distributed: 2009-12-14 |
Word Count: 990 |
Page Views: 4536
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 1.60
In August, Google announced the upcoming roll out of the
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Written by: Trey Pennewell |
Distributed: 2009-07-29 |
Word Count: 1140 |
Page Views: 4503
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 1.64
What is Twitter, and how can I use it to promote my online
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Written by: Trey Pennewell |
Distributed: 2009-03-31 |
Word Count: 1305 |
Page Views: 6191
| Votes: 15 |
Rating: 1.80
Co-op advertising has been around for as long as there has been
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The Importance Of Deep Linking In Your Search Engine Marketing
Written by: Trey Pennewell |
Distributed: 2009-01-22 |
Word Count: 1202 |
Page Views: 5819
| Votes: 24 |
Rating: 2.50
If you are an experienced webmaster then you probably know that
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Gordon Ramsey's Success Secret: Put Yourself In The Mind Of Your Customers
Written by: Trey Pennewell |
Distributed: 2009-01-21 |
Word Count: 1729 |
Page Views: 4501
| Votes: 12 |
Rating: 1.67
Restaurant owners - many of whom are chefs - contact Ramsey and
ask him to visit their restaurant, in essence to help them to
save their restaurant from economic failure. The most amazing
thing about the process is that many of the chefs have personally
asked Ramsey to come, yet when he arrives, they fight with Ramsey
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Word Count: 1613 |
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Rating: 2.55
Wikipedia is the center of the online encyclopedia universe.
Millions of entries on every conceivable topic makes this website
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Written by: Titus Hoskins |
Distributed: 2011-09-13 |
Word Count: 725 |
Page Views: 7170
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If you're considering buying a gaming laptop, there are
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Distributed: 2011-06-27 |
Word Count: 695 |
Page Views: 6083
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Why have Internet or online fax services become so popular
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Word Count: 565 |
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Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money by simply
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Internet Fax Services - Which One Is Right For You?
Written by: Titus Hoskins |
Distributed: 2010-02-11 |
Word Count: 878 |
Page Views: 4856
| Votes: 4 |
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Internet fax services are becoming very popular with
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How The Internet Has Changed The World...
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Distributed: 2009-11-10 |
Word Count: 1379 |
Page Views: 9199
| Votes: 17 |
Rating: 2.29
As most of us sit down at our computers each day, we might
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Distributed: 2009-11-06 |
Word Count: 891 |
Page Views: 4113
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 2.00
Starting an online business, we all need to spend our money
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Distributed: 2009-11-03 |
Word Count: 1111 |
Page Views: 4227
| Votes: 11 |
Rating: 2.55
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A Simple Guide To Online Fax
Written by: Titus Hoskins |
Distributed: 2009-07-28 |
Word Count: 615 |
Page Views: 4394
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.33
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Distributed: 2009-07-08 |
Word Count: 944 |
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Word Count: 1475 |
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Word Count: 1613 |
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Word Count: 725 |
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Distributed: 2006-10-10 |
Word Count: 1645 |
Page Views: 6749
| Votes: 16 |
Rating: 2.50
If you're like me, then you are probably tired of hearing the
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Word Count: 1138 |
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Before dealing with expired domains, you will need to learn and
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process of finding such names easier and flexible.
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Word Count: 821 |
Page Views: 6522
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 0.56
VoIP still has a ways to go before it dominates the
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Word Count: 1109 |
Page Views: 6497
| Votes: 15 |
Rating: 2.60
The first question you ask is Why would I want to meet a girl
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Authors - Publishers Avoid Internet Scams
Written by: Bob Miller |
Distributed: 2007-08-01 |
Word Count: 391 |
Page Views: 3456
| Votes: 12 |
Rating: 3.00
Bob Miller reports that he received an email and telephone call
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Written by: Julian Stone and Peter Hodge |
Distributed: 2007-10-04 |
Word Count: 2568 |
Page Views: 3942
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 3.00
With people generating many new phrases and terms in modern
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(www) today is the phrase 'Web2.0'.
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Written by: Titus Hoskins |
Distributed: 2008-04-23 |
Word Count: 797 |
Page Views: 4640
| Votes: 5 |
Rating: 3.00
In the modern workplace the traditional fax machine is being
replaced by Internet Fax. Is this a good business move? Should
your company use Internet Fax? Read this article to find out...
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Written by: Jason OConnor |
Distributed: 2007-02-01 |
Word Count: 1885 |
Page Views: 5461
| Votes: 16 |
Rating: 2.81
By looking at the trends of today we can begin to develop a image
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will improve and grow in a way that will dwarf its present
existence and will improve and enrich everyone's lives way
beyond what we can imagine today.
Becoming a Power Player with Online Game Sites
Written by: T.C. Gaity |
Distributed: 2008-04-17 |
Word Count: 1057 |
Page Views: 5542
| Votes: 8 |
Rating: 2.63
By participating in various online game sites on the web today,
it is easy to build various skill sets, network with other online
gamers, and win some great prizes. Online game sites have evolved
from simple card games and picture contests to full-fledged
casino-style games, tournaments, and competitions. More and more
online game websites now feature interactive platforms for word
games, puzzles, unique prize drawings, and even company-sponsored
contests for terrific prizes.
Meeting a Girl Online
Written by: Arnold Kligermann |
Distributed: 2007-03-07 |
Word Count: 1109 |
Page Views: 6497
| Votes: 15 |
Rating: 2.60
The first question you ask is Why would I want to meet a girl
online? Why try to meet girls online when you can spot a chick
you like, approach her, start talking - and actually get a date?
New Internet Marketing Tools
Written by: Titus Hoskins |
Distributed: 2008-04-01 |
Word Count: 1288 |
Page Views: 4920
| Votes: 7 |
Rating: 2.57
New Internet marketing tools are coming online each and every
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losing your online competitiveness because you're not using
them? Read more....
Exploring Domain Expired Name Register To Find Best Domain Names
Written by: John Khu |
Distributed: 2007-11-29 |
Word Count: 511 |
Page Views: 6629
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.56
Before dealing with expired domains, you will need to learn and
understand how you can use a domain expired name register to find
the best and profitable domain names. A domain expired name
register is a powerful tool that helps you in searching for the
most meaningful expired domain names. It will also make the
process of finding such names easier and flexible.
Multiple Uses Of An Expired Domain Name
Written by: John Khu |
Distributed: 2007-12-13 |
Word Count: 521 |
Page Views: 4386
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.56
An expired domain name could be very precious and invaluable, as
it has had a considerable amount of time and effort spent on
advertising and promoting it over the web. The combined effect of
time and effort gives you a host of benefits and advantages, as
soon as you register a particular expired domain name.
Email Marketing Formula, The Beginning - Get Your Emails Read
Written by: Kimberly Clay |
Distributed: 2008-03-19 |
Word Count: 766 |
Page Views: 5051
| Votes: 9 |
Rating: 2.56
Is your email marketing campaign not as effective as you'd like?
Here's what I do for about 90 percent of the email messages I
receive: Delete, Delete, Delete... Some days it's so bad, I
think my finger's going to get jammed from pressing the
"Delete" button so much.
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