The search engines on this page are divided into five types: Single Search Engines, Meta Search Engines, Specialty Search Engines, Directories, and Images.

Single Search Engines: a single search engine is basically software that searches for information and returns sites which provide that information. Examples of single search engines are AltaVista, Google, Excite, etc.

Meta Search Engine: a meta search engine is software that uses a number of search engines at the same time and compiles results for you in a single list.

Specialty Search Engine: a specialty search engine is also called a topical search engine. It will search through specific types of listings in specified areas or topics.

Directories: Directories such as Yahoo! and About.com have real people who review and index their links. They also require web sites to adhere to rigid guidelines in order to be included in their indexes. As a result, directories' indexes tend to contain a comparatively small number of high-quality links. The factors that influence search engine rankings simply don't apply to directory rankings. Instead, directory editors look at the quality of a site: its functionality, content and design.

Images: Search engines or collections that specialize in images.