How to Search the Web

Conducting a Meta Search

Meta search sites allow you to conduct a search on several search engines or directories at the same time. These sites typically search the major search engines and directories—such as AltaVista, Excite, Go, Google, Lycos, and Yahoo!—and then present a limited number of results on a single page. In some cases, you can customize the list of sites searched when you conduct a search on a meta search site.

You can find a list of meta search sites in the Bedford Research Room's Links pages.

Tip: Use a meta search site early in your search for information on the Web. A meta search site allows you to do a side-by-side comparison of Web search sites and directories. You can often tell which search sites and directories will produce the best searches for your writing project.

In this demonstration, we'll conduct a simple search using ProFusion, a leading meta search site located at http://www.profusion.com. To begin this demonstration, click on the Continue button.