If you're using a major search engine to find information on the Web, you're missing out on some of the best search experiences. With the help of a metasearch engine--a service that grabs results from multiple search engines--you'll not only find relevant results quickly, but you might be able to kick that Google habit.
Clusty
The biggest issue facing any metasearch engine is determining how it can compete with Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft without copying them. Clusty does it by "clustering" search results based on keywords contained in the query.
If you search for something simple like "CNET," you'll find a list of results like any other search engine. But to the left of those results, Clusty also displays keywords like "reviews," "networks," and "downloads" that you can click on to narrow results down to a specific topic and find exactly what you're looking for sooner.
The clusters were relevant in each of my queries, and Clusty's ability to search and sort news, video, blogs, and jobs makes it an extremely compelling metasearch engine, if you want more than just a Web search. That said, it doesn't access results from Google (it uses Microsoft Live Search and Ask.com's search engines, to name a few), so if you're dedicated to Google results, you may be disappointed with Clusty on more complicated queries. But if you don't mind losing Google's results, you will quickly realize that Clusty is one of the best search services on the Web.
Dogpile
Owned by InfoSpace, Dogpile is a "feel good" metasearch engine that donates a portion of its revenue to animals in need each time you perform a search.
That may be enough for some to switch to the service, but those who enjoy Google's simplicity or Yahoo's extras will be happy to know that Dogpile delivers outstanding search results, thanks to its inclusion of Google, Yahoo, Live, and Ask results in its own. It even provides search options for the basics (video, images, and news), along with the yellow pages and the white pages.
Dogpile may not feature the "clusters" that make Clusty unique, but the metasearch engine provides a clean design and extremely relevant search results to make it an ideal choice, if you're looking to ditch Google and move on to something new.
Kartoo
Kartoo is a visual metasearch engine, which means that it doesn't display search results in a list. Instead, it displays the top search results in a "map" of thumbnail images of the sites it retrieved. It also features a keyword chart to the left of the map that allows you to tailor the search results to a specific topic, making it easier to drill down and find exactly what you're looking for.
Kartoo's search results are fine for simple queries, but they provide little relevance for anything more complex than "CNET" or "Britney Spears." Worse, the search engine can be slow at times--it uses Adobe Systems' Flash technology--but the company claims that it will speed up as you keep using it, though I didn't see any difference.
If you're looking to ditch Google for better search results, Kartoo shouldn't top your list. But if you want something cute to look at that doesn't look like anything else you've ever seen, it's definitely worth trying.
Mamma
Founded in 1996, the self-proclaimed "Mother of all search engines," Mamma Metasearch is one of the oldest metasearch engines on the Web, and delivers results from a variety of search engines and specialty sites.
Generally, Mamma performs well with simple queries, but as soon as searches become more complex, it tends to break down and only delivers results from Ask instead of the more prominent search engines the other metasearch engines use.
Mamma's search "refining" is what makes the service unique. After inputting a query, it analyzes what you say and suggests other ways to phrase the query to return better results. I found that the feature works well, and it generally achieves its goal of returning better results. That said, Mamma is showing its age and probably isn't the best option, if you're choosing between all the metasearch engines included in this group.
Do any of these metasearch engines do enough to make you leave Google? Sure. But unless you're using Dogpile or Clusty, I doubt you'll get too far before you run back to Larry and Sergey.
Quintura's tag cloud is very helpful.
Quintura is the most recently updated and most useful of the tools. It creates a tag cloud based on your search term, and when you hover your mouse over a term, it dives into the term and gives you a more detailed tag cloud around that. A standard list of Web search results show up in the site's right-hand pane, and it refreshes automatically when you hover over links in the tag cloud. Only when you want to actually visit a Web page do you click on a link.
Quintura is easy to use, easy to understand, and does a good job of showing you the shape of a field of knowledge. There's even a kids' version. As with other search visualizers, it's very good at helping you to narrow down search results if your initial query is ambiguous. For example, if you search for "Dvorak," and you're looking for information on the composer rather than the alternate keyboard layout, you can quickly drill into your results; you'll simultaneously see a useful cloud of keywords and can filter out what you don't want.
Clusty organizes results into an outline.
Clusty also clumps results, but it does so in a more traditional format: an expandable, outline-like list of subtopics to the left of your results. It's less weird, and less fun, but just as useful as Quintura. It's probably better suited to people with very organized minds. Outliner fans will like it.
Clusty also has a Wii-friendly version, which is a neat trick.
Kartoo reflects a search concept that was in vogue a few years ago: Cartographic search. This site puts its results on a background that looks a bit like a topographical map of the ocean's floor. It's supposed to show you how "islands" in your results separate from your mainland of hits. Kartoo also has other clever features. When you hover over a site on its map, it draws lines between the site and other related sites. In the left-hand pane, it shows you either a changing topic list (Clusty-like) in the left-hand pane, or a visual site preview, depending on what your mouse is hovering over. Despite the richness of the data it returns, I find the interface confusing. There's too much happening on Kartoo, and it doesn't lend itself to quick comprehension of a field.
Kartoo (L): Too much going on. Ujiko (R): Beam me up!
Kartoo has other interesting search visualization projects, including Ujiko, which to me looks like a search engine that the Star Trek set designers would build. It shows results in a bizarre oval menu with an open center section where the user can flag particular results as relevant. This input helps narrow down results. The center section also shows how terms in multiple results relate to each other, using a wheel of color codes attached to individual results. I think you need Spock's brain to interpret the data. That said, it's entertaining to use and does return useful and very specific results.
Grokker puts results in bubbles.
Grokker displays search results as bubbles inside bigger bubbles. The bigger the bubble, the more results (Web page hits or sub-bubbles) inside it. It is very easy to zoom in and out of subcategories to get a good understanding of a result set. The interface is fluid and Grokker is fun to use. A control panel, which is unique to this engine, lets you refine date ranges and data sources. The company's main business is providing search technologies to big companies, but Grokker is a good consumer search visualizer nonetheless.
I haven't integrated any of these tools into my daily routine, but at first blush Quintura looks to be the most useful, since it gives both easily-understood overviews of a field as well as specific Web page results, without overloading on a bunch of new search concepts and interface tricks.
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