Metasearch sites are useful for their ability to send your query through multiple search tools at once. I recently discovered a new metasearcher, Ixquick, with several unique features:

  • Rated results. Each search result is awarded one star for every search engine that chooses it as one of the 10 best results for your search. If a result has five stars, it means that five search engines agreed on the result. This can be useful given that different search engines rank results in different ways. It also cuts down on sites that were “optimized” to fool a particular search engine’s algorithm.
  • Universal power searching. Power searching — Boolean logic, phrases, wildcards and fields — can help you zero in on more precise results. But different search engines support different search methods. Ixquick allows you to enter a single power search using one syntax. It then sends your search to multiple sites, translating it into the syntax that each site uses.
  • Global search. Ixquick supports searching in 18 languages and includes global searching for people and businesses.
  • Refinement. Click on the check mark or “X” next to a result to narrow or exclude results.

Of course, the best way to evaluate a search tool is to try it yourself.

Photo of Bob Ambrogi Bob Ambrogi

Bob is a lawyer, veteran legal journalist, and award-winning blogger and podcaster. In 2011, he was named to the inaugural Fastcase 50, honoring “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries and leaders.” Earlier in his career, he was editor-in-chief of several legal publications, including The National Law Journal, and editorial director of ALM’s Litigation Services Division.