Search engines are the keys that unlock the information treasure houses of the Internet. Unfortunately, most people have no idea how to tap their power. Like software applications, each search engine has its own unique features. People who know how to use these features are able to focus their searches more sharply and are more likely to find the information they want. Each search engine also has its strengths and weaknesses. It is important to select the right search engine for the job.

Users can learn about the relative strengths and weaknesses by spending a great deal of time with each engine, or they can simply buy Search Engines for the World Wide Web, 2nd Edition: Visual QuickStart Guide for clear, step-by-step, up-to-date chapters on each of the most popular Web search engines: AltaVista, Excite, HotBot, InfoSeek, Lycos, WebCrawler, and Yahoo! It also shows the reader how to quickly find particular people or companies via other search tools such as Four11, BigBook, and Big Yellow.