It has been estimated that there are over 320 million web sites. Every month, millions of more web sites are added. Directories, Search Engines, and Meta Engines allow you to specify a word or phrase, subject or category, type of file, and sometimes even a date when looking for information on a specific topic. After you search for a topic, a list of web sites displays. Each web site result is known as a hit .
Directories are huge lists of web sites compiled by people.
They usually yield less hits, but supply more accurate search results. Search Engines are created by special computer programs known as spiders, crawlers, or bots. They usually yield more hits, but supply less accurate search results. Meta Engines allow you to search more than one search engine at a time. They provide fast ways of doing multiple searches at once.