What Are Specialized Search Engines Called?

Specialized or vertical search engines are designed to provide results from specific content sources that cater to particular needs. Unlike general-purpose search engines like Google or Yahoo!, which index a vast amount of web data and attempt to return relevant results for any query, specialized ones focus on a narrower range of topics.

The term 'vertical' refers to something in an upright position or at right angles to the line connecting two opposite points (such as up-and-down). In this context, it means that these search engines are specifically built to cater to specific areas of interest rather than trying to cover everything under the sun like their general counterparts do.

When you're looking for information related to a particular subject matter - let's say fashion trends in New York City during World War II - using a regular ol' Google search might not cut it because there won't be many relevant results coming back out of billions upon trillions indexed pages worldwide! That’s where vertical (or niche) sites come into play: they'll filter through only the most pertinent info so you don't waste time wading through loads irrelevant information.

Here are some examples:

1. Google Scholar - This one is a must-have for academics, researchers, and students alike who need access to peer-reviewed articles in fields like science, law, medicine & more! It indexes scholarly literature across many disciplines and sources such as journals published by academic societies.

2. Dogpile - As its name suggests this dog-lover's dream engine lets you search multiple engines at once including Google Maps Street View which can be super handy when trying to find places near pet stores etcetera.

So next time your usual go-to general purpose web browser fails you in finding what exactly do YOU need try asking one of these vertical gurus instead - they'll surely help narrow down those millions upon million results into something actually useful for once!

What are specialized search engines called