A search engine is a forms-based program for locating online information. There is a blank box in which to enter words and a button to click to make it search. Search engines do not look through everything on the Web when you ask them to find information on a topic. However it finds them, the collection of Web pages a particular search engine knows about is called its catalog . If a search engine finds a page in its catalog that matches your search, it is called a hit .
Most search engines offer both simple and advanced search options.
A simple search is usually the default, i.e. the one that is offered first on the screen. A simple search looks for the word or words you type into the search box. An advanced search does the same thing, but it offers several ways to focus or narrow your search and help reduce the number of irrelevant hits. Return to . . .