A search engine provides a means by which a person can search for information across the Internet. Stopping at a search engine is like going to your local library for information, except that on the Internet it's usually faster and you're likely to find a great deal more diversity of subject matter. Because of the diversity, it's best to be as specific as possible when doing a search. Businesses and Organizations make a point of being listed on search engines so that interested parties can find their products and services. AltaVista , Excite , InfoSeek , Lycos and Yahoo are each popular search engines.
Search engines are basically database programs.
Their job is to obtain data from Web sites in order to identify, organize and list Web sites of possible interest to people who are seeking them. An information seeker can visit a search engine and enter a word or phrase for the search engine to seek out for them. The search engine will present the seeker with the results of their search in a manner which the seeker can then investigate further. Search engines are powerful and can draw up many more references than is usually necessary. It is useful for the seeker to learn how to refine their search to shorten the list they will ultimately be presented with.