metasuchportale

Metasuchportale, a term of German origin, translates to "meta search portals" or "meta search engines." These are internet search tools that do not maintain their own searchable databases. Instead, they query multiple other search engines simultaneously and then present the aggregated results to the user. The primary advantage of metasuchportale is their ability to cast a wider net, potentially uncovering information that might be missed by a single search engine. They act as an intermediary, simplifying the process of searching across various platforms.

The underlying technology of a metasuchportal involves sending the user's query to a selection of chosen search engines. Each of these engines processes the query independently and returns its own set of results. The metasuchportal then collects these individual results, removes duplicates, and often ranks them based on its own algorithms or a combination of the underlying engines' rankings. Examples of metasuchportale include Dogpile, MetaCrawler, and Startpage (which also offers privacy features by acting as a proxy for Google searches). While they offer convenience and broader coverage, metasuchportale may sometimes have limitations in terms of advanced search features or the speed of results compared to direct searches on individual engines. Their effectiveness can also depend on the specific combination of search engines they utilize.