How does a search engine differ from a directory?
The term “search engine” is often used to describe both search engines and directories. However, this is not correct. There are differences in the way search engines and directories gather and list information. Understanding how each one works will help you choose the best tool for your search. A search engine is a website that lists information on all web content. “Crawler” software “crawls” the entire web, gathers all the pages and words that match your search, and then stores them in an online database. The process is completely automated and relies on the algorithms within the “crawler.” Therefore, search engines are suitable for finding each and every page on the web having to do with your search terms. Google (www.google.com) and AltaVista (www.altavista.com) are examples of search engines. An online directory is just like a Yellow Pages or White Pages directory. Unlike search engines that use software to gather their listings, directories depend on human beings manually checking
