Symetri Blog

Search engines work wonders. But with the help of additional software and Web tools, tracking down information becomes easier. Search toolbars let you access leading search engines from add-on toolbars in your browser. Metasearch applications query several search engines at once. And visual search applications provide intuitive ways to identify concepts by displaying results as maps rather than lists.

Several search sites, including Yahoo!, Google, and Teoma offer search toolbars. Each adds a strip of tools to your browser, including a text-entry box that lets you query the associated search site.

Yahoo! Companion (free) gives quick access to Yahoo! E-mail, a Yahoo! Shopping account, the Yahoo! News site, and more. You can transform the app into a toolbar for navigating Yahoo! Finance or configure it solely for Web searches.

Google Toolbar (free) lets you run two types of searches. The Search Web button gives you matching pages from the Web, while the Search Site button limits your query to the current domain. You can translate foreign-language sites, and a pull-down menu lets you jump to Google subsites, like Google News, where you can search for the latest news stories.

Teoma Search Bar (free) offers a few tools unavailable in Google's offering. When you come across a site you like, a button lets you e-mail the URL. With another button, you can search Merriam-Webster's online dictionary. But Teoma Search Bar can't limit queries by domain or translate pages.


Category: Search Engine Marketing and Optimization