EmailReviews say these features are important to consider in selecting a search engine. Although it's easy enough to try various Internet-based browsers and search toolbars, there are a few additional issues to consider.
- Consider search engine disclosure policies. At the very least, you should be able to tell at a glance which listings are paid ads and which are unbiased search results ranked for real relevance to your search. While reviews usually prefer ads to be very distinctive, many users say they like more subtle ads that aren't distracting; Google gets high marks in this respect for its easily identified text-ad sidebar and occasional paid-placement top bar.
- Try search engines that filter search results into subtopics. For ambiguous or broad topics, this can help you zero in on you want, even if it would otherwise be on page 10 of the listed results. Clusty and quite a few others do this.
- Try several search engines for options on how results are displayed. Most people prefer a simple, uncluttered layout that makes it easy to skim through results. This is one of the aspects where some of the lesser-known search engines excel, so you may want to try several of them to see if you prefer them to Google's simple layout.
- Consider privacy and security. Users vary in how much information they're willing to have accessible to a server on the net, even when privacy policies are reassuring. If it makes you flinch to see something like "Welcome, [your name]" when you search, then choose a search engine that's less personalized and more anonymous. Privacy and personalization policies are constantly changing; for links to news about search engines, see our Useful Links page.
- Be wary of meta-search engines. Research experts suggest using two or three separate search engines rather than relying on one search tool that combines results from several.