General Information

• How does Search.com work?
• Where do I start?
• Can I search in specific categories?
• Understanding search results
• How do I send feedback?

Search.com is a metasearch engine: your search query is sent to several search engines at one time and the results are integrated into one list. That means you don't have to spend time going to each individual site to search — you can get all the Web's top results at once from Search.com.

If you're looking for general information and resources, the best place to start is the main search box on the front door. Just enter your query and press the Search button.

Of course — just choose a metasearch channel from our Specialty Searches page. Each of our channels searches specialized engines related to that particular topic or genre. For example, our Music channel gives you the option to search for MP3s, lyrics, reviews, prices, software, concert tickets, and more. You can select as many categories as you like on a particular channel. The more checkboxes you select, the more engines we search.

The search results page is divided into several sections.
• Related Searches
  Near the top of your search results you may see a box that contains search terms related to your query. Click on one of these helpful suggestions to narrow or broaden your search.
• Top Matching Results
  Occasionally Search.com will highlight specialized results that are based on the context of your query. Examples of specialized results include specific links to software downloads, products, or video games.
  
  Top Matching Results may highlight information from other Search.com pages, content from the CNET Network of sites, or third party content. The listings are based purely on relevance. Search.com does not receive payment for listings in this section but our partners that provide this data may get paid for listing these products.
• Sponsored Links
  This section contains paid listings which have been purchased by companies that want to have their sites appear for specific search terms and related content. These listings are administered, sorted and maintained by a third party and are not endorsed by Search.com.
• Metasearch Results
  Search.com sends your search query to several search engines at one time and integrates the results into one list which has been sorted by relevance using Search.com's proprietary algorithm. You can customize the list of search engines included in your metasearch by visiting the Search.com preferences page.
  
  The search engines that are used in your metasearch may allow companies to pay to have their Web sites included within the results. To view the Paid Inclusion policy for a specific search engine, please visit their Web site. Search.com does not accept payment or share revenue with any search engine partner for listings in this section.

We welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions about Search.com — drop us a line.

There are a few ways you can improve your results:
• add words to your query if the results are too broad
• subtract words from your query if the results are too narrow
• try searching in a particular channel for more focused results

Some engines that Search.com queries support the following advanced search options:
• Double-quoted Phrases
  " " (e.g., "john lennon" not john lennon)
• Enforced Term Operators
  +/- (e.g., music +"john lennon" -beatles)
• Boolean Language
  and, or, not (e.g. music and "john lennon" and not beatles)
You may improve your results through these advanced search techniques, but not all engines not support all of these options. Try out a few different approaches and see what works best for you.

You can customize your Search.com experience by visiting the preferences page, which has the following options:
• Metasearch
  Choose the search engines to include in your metasearch.
• New window
  With this option selected, when you click on a search result the Web page will open in a new browser window.
• Custom Colors
  Personalize Search.com pages by selecting one of five color schemes: Tan, Red, Grey, Green, or the default White.
• Show Thumbnails
  Preview Web sites before you click with our thumbnail option. With this option selected, a small thumbnail image (when available) of the Web site will appear to the left of the search results.
In addition, if you are using the Internet Explorer browser you can click on a link to make Search.com the home page for your browser.