A metasearch engine sends a query to several other search engines at once and merges their results into one list. It does not keep its own index of web pages. Because it relies on the indexes of others, it is rarely a target for SEO.
How does a metasearch engine work?
According to Wikipedia, the service contacts multiple search engines, collects the results, removes duplicates with its own algorithms and ranks the merged list. Strengths named there are broader coverage and less effort for the user. Weaknesses are limited handling of advanced search syntax, frequent duplicates and a bias toward paid results.
A 2008 comparison of ten metasearch tools concluded that most of them were no better than an individual search engine because none had developed an effective way to blend results. The article is old, so this finding needs current tests before it is repeated.
History and providers
According to reports, the idea goes back to MetaCrawler, published in 1995 at the University of Washington. Current examples it names are SearXNG for web search and Kayak and Skyscanner for travel.
Is Google a metasearch engine?
Google describes itself as a fully automated search engine that uses crawlers to find pages for its own index. It therefore has an index of its own, which a metasearch engine lacks.
Example
Someone searches a metasearch engine for “bicycle helmet test”. The service queries several search engines, combines the hits and lists each URL once.
Sources
- Metasearch engine – Wikipedia (secondary)en.wikipedia.org
- In-Depth Guide to How Google Search Works – Google Search Central (updated 18.12.2025)developers.google.com
- 10 Meta-Search Engines Reviewed and Compared – Search Engine People, 27.08.2008 (secondary)searchenginepeople.com
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