By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-09-12 20:57:35 | Word Count: 664
Dogpile, a relatively unknown Meta search engine, compiles results from a variety of different directories and search engines. The results are compiled into an easy to read list. Dogpile relies on multiple different search engines, including LookSmart, MIVA, About, Ask, Bing, Yahoo and Google. They claim to have the ability to search a far greater portion of the internet as opposed to a traditional search engine. With a clever ‘pet’ named Arfie, Dogpile, and other services like it, may soon overpower traditional search engines. As an audio search engine, Dogpile has the ability to quickly cut through unrelated websites and present the user with a list of useful sites guaranteed to meet their needs.
That may sound confusing, but by looking at the service from a practical stand point, it is easy to see why Dogpile has an advantage. Take for example, the key phrase ‘terraced garden.’ Searching this phrase utilizing Dogpiles ‘video’ function nets the user only results that are audio or video. Try searching for the similar phrase on a traditional search engine – you are likely to net millions of results and be forced to sort through them, looking for audio or video files. Dogpile simply cuts down on the time and effort it takes to perform searches.
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Dogpile works on the same principles as typical search engines, except they take things one step further. Instead of referencing indexes, Dogpile references the search engine results compiled by a variety of engines. It then filters the information for duplicates and quickly presents the list to the user. Dogpile further allows users to customize searches in number of ways. Image searches, news searches and the ever popular audio search allow users to cut through extraneous sites and get directly to the information they are searching for. For example, as an audio search engine, users will only be presented with audio or video information.
Dogpile presents both organic results and paid results, much like other search engines. Users are cued to paid results visually – they are slightly offset from other results and typically appear at the top of a results page. Users appreciate the ability to decide for themselves whether or not to accept a paid result.
Dogpile uses the slogan ‘all the best search engines piled into one,’ and it is especially apt. Many web surfers routinely first access their favorite search engine and, if acceptable results are not presented, next move onto other popular engines. Dogpile eliminates the need to search multiple engines by neatly providing all of the results in one place.
Like all search engines, Dogpile users simply input a keyword or phrase into the search engine. They can then select a type of search to perform. In the case of audio search engine Dogpile quickly cuts through the extra ‘stuff’ and allows users to see just the results that are truly relevant.
It will be interesting to watch Dogpile over the next few years. It is likely it will continue to grow both in size and popularity.
