Sebagian besar mesin pencari dijalankan oleh perusahaan swasta yang menggunakan algoritma kepemilikan dan basisdata tertutup, di antaranya yang paling populer adalah Google (MSN Search dan Yahoo!). Telah ada beberapa upaya menciptakan mesin pencari dengan sumber terbuka (open source), contohnya adalah Htdig, Nutch, Egothor dan OpenFTS.
Proses Pencarian
Melakukan pencarian dokumen yang dimuat pada suatu situs bisa begitu mudah dan kelihatannya mungkin sulit juga. apalagi mengignat begitu menyebarnya informasi dimana-mana, bahkan University of Calofornia menyebutkan saat ini telah terdapat lebih dari 50 milyar halaman web di internet, meskipun tidak ada ada satupun yang benar-benar tahu jumlah persisnya.
kesulitan yang mungkin terjadi adalah karena WWW tersebut tidak terdata dalam bentuk yang terstandarisasi isinya. tidak sama halnya dengan katalog yang ada di perpustakaan, yang memiliki standarisasi secara mendunia berdasarkan subjek dari judul buku, meskipun jumlahnya juga tidak sedikit.
Dalam pencarian di web, pengguna selalu memperkirakan kata apa yang di kira-kira terdapat pada halaman yang ingin anda temukan. atau kira-kira apa subjek yang dipilih oleh seseorang untuk mengelolah halaman situs yang mereka kelola, topik apa saja kira-kira yang di bahas.
Jika pengguna melakukan apa yang dikenal dengan pencarian pada halaman web, sebenarnya tidaklah melakukan pencarian. tidak mungkin melakukan pencarian di WWW secara langsung.
Pada web benar-benar terdiri dari banyak sekali halaman web yang ingin disimpan dari berbagai server diseluruh dunia. Komputer pengguna tidak langsung melakukan pencarian kepada seluruh komputer tersebut secara langsung.
Apa yang mungkin pengguna lakukan hanyalah melalui komputer untuk mengakses satu atau lebih perantara yang disebut dengan alat bantu pencarian yang ada saat ini. Melakukan pencarian pada alat bantu itu tadi ke database yang dimiliki. data base tersebut mengkoleksi situs-situs yang ditemukan dan simpan.
alat bantu pencarian ini menyediakan hasil pencarian dalam bentuk hypertext link dengan URL menuju halaman lainnya. ketika anda klik link ini, dan menuju ke alamat tersebut maka dokumen, gambar, suara dan banyak lagi bentuk lainnya yang ada pada server tersebut disediakan, sesuai dengan informasi yang terdapat di dalamnya. layanan ini bisa menjangkau ke manapun di seluruh dunia.
Tidak mungkin seseorang untuk melakukan pencarian ke seluruh komputer yang terhubung internet ini, atau bahkan alat bantu pencarian yang mengklaim bahwa melakukannya, tidak benar.
Kategori Alat Pencari
Saat ini, tiga bentuk dari alat bantu pencarian ini. Menggunakan strategi yang berbeda untuk memanfaatkan kemampuan potensial dari masing-masing nya, yaituInilah 100 Search Engine-Mesin pencari terbaik Versi Korando
- Google!
This search engine combs through the largest and most current database of Web pages on the Internet. - Yahoo!
Popular search engine and web guide. - Bing
- Excite
One of the first and most popular search engines is now a full-fledged portal. - AltaVista
This search engine has a great advanced query function. - Lycos
One of the most popular search engines on the Internet. - About.com
This excellent Internet guide also has a search engine. - SearchCactus.com
Earn money while searching the internet. - CitySearch
Interactive guides to major U.S cities. - Ditto!
Designed to search the ‘Net using pictures, not text, Ditto! directs users to the originating web site on which the pictures are located - Searchwho.com
Search over 60 search engines in one click. Also, has affiliate program for adding a search engine to your website. - WorkTree
Search the largest job
directory on the web. - OneSearch
Promote your site. - LookSmart
LookSmart is the world’s largest company focused exclusively on search and navigation. - Netscape
Offers multiple search tools. - Northern Light
A news and government search engine. - BigWhat.com
At BigWhat.com, you will not get 8 million search results, but a select targeted result! - Hits4me.com
Enhance your site with free tools like guest books, Search engines, polls and top 50s. - Mamma
Mother of All Search Engines. - WebCrawler
Real-language search engine. - MetaCrawler
This meta search engine provides results from several web guides. - whatUseek Network
A meta search engine. - NBCi
Search engine and web guide. - HotBot
Lyco’s popular search engine. - Magellan
Document management. - Half.com
Click here for half off
of everything. - DrivingPoint.com
Search specifically focused on the automotive industry. - 411 Locate.com
White pages, yellow pages, e-mail, public records, and business credit search. - Dogpile
Performs searches of several top engines, Usenet groups and more. - ProFusion Search Engine
Search engine developed by Kansas University. - AllPosters.com
Features the best selection of
posters and prints in the world. - Raging Search
An easy to use, no frills, no banners search engine from AltaVista. - Debriefing
Performs searches of several top engines. - Teoma
A next generation Web Search that delivers three types of search results. - CNET Search.com
Keyword search engine and Web guide. - FastSearch
Search engine listing over 575 million URLs with a goal of a billion within the next few years. - Ask Jeeves
Pose a question and Jeeves will retrieve the answer. - WiseNut
An advanced search technology company. - Yoofindit.com
A human-edited directory of links that give the link and a description of each site, along with the date the link was added. A nice feature is that all sites are reviewed within 24-hours of submission. - OneSeek.com
A meta search engine. - FindWhat.com
Fast, relevant searches with the top results pointing to the most active companies and web sites in any given topic. - RealNames
Search for businesses using their real name. - Search Engine Watch
Authoritative guide to searching online. - ICQ Search
Search the Internet or browse through ICQ’s directory of popular topics. - peoplesound
Get free Mp3s and
music downloads. - myGO
Search for Web sites, audiofiles, stocks, pictures and more. - TopSeven.com
Index of the top seven sites in several popular categories. - canada.com
With an average of 40 million page impressions and over 2.3 million unique users per month, canada.com is Canada’s gateway to the World Wide Web. - Highway 61
Finally, a search site for the 21st century! - Search Hippo
Ultra-fast, Ultra-accurate 64 bit web search! - US Search
Find lost family members or friends or order a background check on them. - eBay
The largest auction site in the world.
Bid on millions of items. - Keen
Your personal advisor. - MegaCrawler
Includes a unique auction search. - Search Galore
Just type what you want and search! - MP3 Search
Search for your favourite songs. - iLOR
Search engine that turns your cursor into a useful miniature tool bar when held over the results. - SmartLogik
Navigate, Communicate and Explore the Internet! - WebTop
A concept-driven approach to finding the right information. - TrueSearch
A clean, fine-tuned engine for quick access to the information you want, when you want it. - Yep
Popular search engine community with free chat, mp3 sites! - Tower Records
Music and movie retail industry giant
offering some of the lowest prices anywhere. - THOMAS
Government search engine. - Zerx
The most intelligent search engine on the web! - Bay9
An advertiser-developed search engine. - Alexa
Free navigation software to improve your web surfing. - All The Web
Search all the web all the time. - BotSpot
Keyword search engine. - 7Search
A Search Engine That Provides Web Site Information, including email addresses, location, age and site popularity. - RevPartner.com
Partners with webmasters to setup their own money making search engines. - Pico Search
Enable your website visitors to search your own site. - Ah-Ha.com
Fast relevant search results. - Direct Hit
Ranks search results based on what others have selected as the most relevant and popular sites for your search request. - IntelliSearch
A subscriber-based business search engine. - Find-It!
This meta search engine provides results from several popular search engines. - 37.com
37 search engines in one. - MonkeySweat
Keyword search engine. - Galaxy
A keyword search engine. - Chubba
A meta search engine. - Event Jar
Cultural events search engine and ticket resource. - CompuServe
Search engine from CompuServe Interactive Services. - Kanoodle.com
Bid for Location Search Portal focusing on music, love and advice. - SitsStay.com
Extraordinary supplies
for your favorite pet. - EntireWeb
A powerful international Internet search engine that provides you with the best search results available ! - Festivals.com
Arts and culture festivals search engine. - FindSpot
Offers access to major search engines in one convenient place with searching tips. - GlobalTech 2000
Offers search engine ranking improvement services. - AlphaSearch
The guide to searching at Internet search engines and search engine registration and ranking issues. - Amazon.com
Online bookstore with
over 2.5 million titles. - National Archives & Records Administration
Searchable databases of historical government records. - Refdesk.com
Provides access to numerous general and topic-oriented search engines. - SafeSearching.com
Celebrity-themed search engine. - Public Record Finder.com
Links to free public record sites. - Qnetwork.com
Fast keyword search engine. - News Library
U.S. newspaper search engine. - Finditquick.com
Kid-friendly interactive search engine. - GovSearch
Selection of new government search engines. - PCGAME.COM
Searches for PC game-related sites. - PolePositionWeb
Search engine ranking improvement service. - Search Engine World
By webmasters for webmasters.