What is a meta-search engine

A meta search engine is a type of search engine that gives results based on a combination of results from other search engine databases. It specializes in concatenating databases from a variety of search engines and linking the search results to relevant sources. Here are some pointers on what a meta-search engine is and how to consider it in your SEO strategy.

Free market at its best

In a context of almost absolute domination of Google in the world of web search, one wonders why meta-search engines still exist. In practice, we use them in specialized areas such as hotel reservations, airline ticket searches or employment. You probably use them without even realizing it under the name of comparison sites.

Pros and cons

This tool allows you to find the best search results on the web in one place and with one click. It therefore saves search time, while finding the best websites to meet your needs. The meta-search engine is also very useful for simple searches. However, the possibilities of search results are not as great as with a regular search engine. In addition, there may be redundancies in the results offered.  For example, the same Web site can be found several times.

Custom search

A meta-search engine can also allow writing custom search scripts in order to integrate results according to a user-specific equation. This flexibility in the management of the search made it possible, for example, to extract information from distant pages of Google in an automated way and according to specific criteria. Note that some meta-engines propose search themes and use different algorithms to bring up results.

How to profit from it

You need to be able to have an overview of the investments to be made per acquisition channel, then within each acquisition channel by country, by format (desktop or mobile). In this sense, only suppliers specialized in Meta Search can provide you with the necessary management tools and give you a summary view. To make it a profitable recruitment channel, which is entirely possible, you need to be able to do some “fine tuning” of investments. Test the channels one after the other, and choose and prioritize those with the highest return of investment.

When learning what a meta-search engine is, remember: using a metasearch engine means submitting a query to several search tools at the same time.