Search Engines

cartoon: man searching in the night with a flashlight

Where are you searching?

When you use a search engine you are not actually searching the live web. Instead, you are working with the search engine's database of web page information.   Search engines attempt to copy and organize all of the information available on the Internet into their own efficient database. The database may include partial or complete copies of millions (billions) of web pages.   Clicking on the hyperlink listed in the search results takes you from the search engine host, to the actual web page of interest. 

Cartoon Image of a computer reading from paper text. Listen

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Authored by Dennis O'Connor 2003