The MetaCrawler search engine is a metasearch engine designed to help users get the best search results from the internet. MetaCrawler is a powerful search engine whose mode of operation differs from that of traditional search engines.
People conduct searches on the internet with one goal in mind – to get the best search results. But we all know that search results can differ from one search engine to another.
MetaCrawler gives users the opportunity to get the best search results. It compares the search results of the world’s most popular search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo and others) to give users more options to choose from.
Here, we’ll discuss MetaCrawler in detail. So read before you start using this search engine.
What Is The MetaCrawler Search Engine?
When people explore the internet, they do so with one clear goal in mind – find the most relevant information, news, article or document. Additionally, users want their search to be quick and easy.
MetaCrawler is a Metasearch engine. It helps users find the most relevant information about a topic in record time. This search engine was part of a PhD research project kick-started at the University of Washington in 1994.
This searcher was the first of its kind. It was born out of academic research and considered a huge success. Having a search engine that helps users find the most relevant information on a topic fast was a major breakthrough.
Who Created The MetaCrawler Search Engine?
The history of MetaCrawler won’t be complete without mentioning names like Erik Selberg, the man who created the search engine. Another person involved in this project was Professor Oren Etzioni.
MetaCrawler was Erik’s PhD qualifying project. And with the help of Professor Oren Etzioni, he was able to actualize it.
The MetaCrawler isn’t Professor Etzioni’s first project. He’s the co-founder of NetBot, Inc., the first search engine designed to provide internet price comparison service.
Selberg and Etzioni’s reason for creating MetaCrawler was to give a reliable abstraction layer to the various search engine programs. The idea was to study the World Wide Web’s semantic structure. Though MetaCrawler encountered several research challenges, it came out successful in the end.
MetaCrawler was a revolutionary metasearch engine, and the first metasearch born out of academic research. But it wasn’t the first metasearch engine. SavvySearch is the first metasearch engine.
SavvySearch’s launch took place four months before MetaCrawler’s release. The development of the search engine also took place at Colorado State University.
Upon MetaCrawler’s launch, its usage started increasing. Hundreds of thousands of query processing took place on the search engine daily, something the developers didn’t expect would happen.
The challenges faced by the search engine became more prominent. It was functioning on four Digital Equipment Corporation AlphaStation. So, the bandwidth load was a concern.
The developers started realizing how massive the search engine had become. They saw that the number of queries processed daily could rise higher as the day over time. The only way to address the situation was to commercialize the search engine.
In other words, the developers realized that MetaCrawlers need to start tendering payments for the queries it sends to the primary search engines somehow. That is where the name “NetBot” comes in.
NetBot’s co-founder is Professor Etzioni. NetBot was designed to commercialize MetaCrawler and several other programs.
A Handy Tip: MetaCrawler’s development started in 1994, but the search engine’s launching took place a year later, in July 1995.
MetaCrawler’s growth was remarkable. In late 1995, the search engine was processing a little over 7,000 queries weekly. Additionally, it accessed only six services, such as Lycos, Galaxy, Open Text, InfoSeek, Yahoo, and WebCrawler.
By late 1996, just a year later, the search engine’s usage exploded to record queries daily. It started recording over 150,000 queries per day.
MetaCrawler Ownership History
MetaCrawler has passed through many phases of ownership since its inception. It was once a PhD project, but became one of the most advanced search engines.
Erik Selberg and Professor Oren Etzioni developed this metasearch engine. But as it became clear that keeping it active would require huge financial resources, they both had to conclude that selling it off would be a wise decision.
Identifying a working business model for MetaCrawler became an issue for its owners, too. So, the plan was to sell the search engine to another competent internet-based company.
The owners finally reached an agreement with Go2Net, a startup internet-based company. But there was a change in owner at Go2Net a few years after.
InfoSpace later bought Go2Net in July 2010 for $4.2 billion. The deal was a remarkable one for InfoSpace because prior to the acquisition, Go2Net had bought Dogpile, another leading metasearch engine.
In 2014, InfoSpace added MetaCrawler to Zoo.com, one of its search engines. Zoo.com’s launch happened in 2006. InfoSpace planned to redirect MetaCrawler’s domain to Zoo.com, which it did. However, the domain was later redirected to msxml.excite.com, Excite search page. For the record, InfoSpace also controls Excite.
Blucora, InfoSpace’s parent company, struck a deal with OpenMail to purchase InfoSpace in 2016. The deal was worth $45 million, making MetaCrawler OpenMail’s property.
A Handy Tip: OpenMail’s new name is System1. Additionally, unlike how previous owners operated the MetaCrawler, the search engine now operates independently. It re-launched its search engine in 2017.
Why Choose MetaCrawler To Explore
The MetaCrawler engine boasts some unique features that set it apart. Understanding the various features the search engine has will make users appreciate it and know how valuable it is.
1. MetaCrawler’s search results are highly comprehensive.
Picture this: you’re using the Bing search engine to search for information. Unfortunately, Google is the search engine with the indexed search results that you seek. You can’t find it on Bing. Or, even if you do, the results the search engine has aren’t as comprehensive as the ones on Google.
MetaCrawler’s search engine ensures that you get the most relevant search results by aggregating search results from diverse search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, etc.). It aims to give you access to more broad and detailed search results, ensuring you find the right information.
You’ll have the opportunity to choose the search engine you want to use for your research. In other words, you’ll choose the search engine that has the most relevant search results for your research.
So, if you want a search engine that delivers highly comprehensive and valuable search results, MetaCrawler is a wise choice.
2. Aggregating results from several search engines gives users different and unique perspectives on issues:
MetaCrawler’s system of combining results from diverse search engines enables users to get diverse information and see issues from different perspectives, not just one side.
When you have access to varied materials or information on a topic, you’ll be able to develop a broader understanding of that topic. Additionally, if you aim to write about the topic, you’ll be able to produce a more detailed and unique write-up.
In other words, your copy will be much superior to the ones you found on the search engines because you have access to diverse materials and angles on the topic.
So, with metasearch engines like MetaCrawler, you’ll be able to develop different angles on a topic.
3: Reduces or eliminates the potential for bias in search results:
Since MetaCrawler aggregates results from diverse search engines, it helps reduce or even eliminate bias. There’s the possibility of bias in some reporting, limiting users’ views on an issue.
The fact that MetaCrawler pulls search engines with results that match your search term means you are going to have the chance to read both biased and unbiased opinions on a topic.
Having access to biased and unbiased opinions on a topic will enable you to have a balanced idea about the main issue. With this, you’ll be able to elaborate on the issue.
4. Saves time and energy:
Researching different search engines to have varied search results on a topic can be time-consuming and draining. You might not even accomplish much or get confused at the end of the day.
MetaCrawler helps to eliminate that. It helps aggregate results from diverse search engines, meaning you’ll have all the search results in one place.
So, this search engine will make you more efficient in your research and enable you to do more within a short time. Research is all about gathering enough information on a topic and ensuring that the information gathered has value.
MetaCrawler will enable you to find search results that are valuable to your research project. Even if you’re only interested in reading, the quality of the results this search engine delivers will expand your knowledge on the topic.
5. Improve your efficiency:
This search engine’s metasearch functionality improves search efficiency. How? It delivers results in a uniform pattern. For users seeking to compare information provided by varied sources, MetaCrawler is a wise choice.
You can compare and contrast results from varied search engines all in one place. That’s what MetaCrawler does. It eliminates the need to switch between search engine tabs, saving time and energy.
This search engine makes online search efficient, fast, and enjoyable.
Does MetaCrawler Update Its Algorithm?
MetaCrawler has proven itself as one of the most advanced and feature-rich search engines. But we all know that technology evolves daily. Staying the same way throughout will push the search engine’s users away. The good thing is the search engine’s potential for growth is huge.
MetaCrawler updates its algorithm on a regular basis, releasing new features that turn heads. It keeps releasing features that make surfing the internet a breeze and makes aggregating the best results from search engines possible.
However, users are always looking out for more. But we expect MetaCrawler to deliver. We expect them to become the most advanced metasearch engine in a few years.
MetaCrawler Privacy Information
Privacy is a major concern for many internet users. We have all seen the damages that can happen when one’s personal information falls into the hands of hackers.
For search engines like MetaCrawler, privacy is an important topic. The search engine prioritizes its users’ privacy and data protection and has taken decisive steps to keep users safe.
How does this search engine protect users? It has implemented advanced security measures that meet industry standards.
MetaCrawler encrypts users’ information and stores it securely to prevent any unauthorized access. So this search engine stores users’ information, as it claims it uses it to serve users better and deliver improved products.
The search engine generates money from advertisers. That’s why it stores users’ information to deliver targeted adverts.
MetaCrawler also conducts occasional updates and audits to ensure total compliance with data protection regulations.
Does MetaCrawler sell users’ information? This has become a major concern for most users. They entrust their data to search engines, and in return, the data is later sold to a third party.
Unfortunately, no search engine will agree to claims that it sells users’ information. They know doing so will lead to their eventual collapse, as no user would want to use such a search engine.
MetaCrawler is transparent with its privacy policy. They have accurate information on how they store and use information provided by users.
This search engine also gives users the freedom to manage their privacy. You can take advantage of the privacy settings to manage your data.
Conclusion
MetaCrawler search engine is a metasearch engine and one of the first search engines to offer such features. The first is SavvySearch, a powerful and feature-rich search engine.
MetaCrawler began as an academic project. Erik Selberg and Professor Oren Etzioni created the search engine.
MetaCrawler helps to aggregate different search engines to deliver the most relevant search results to users. It allows users to have control over the search engine from which they want to get their information.
This search engine helps users save time and energy. It helps eliminate bias in search results by letting users have access to results that present diverse angles to a topic.
