Search Engines

What is a search engine?

A search engine is a software system designed to carry out web searches. They search the World Wide Web in a systematic way for particular information specified in a textual web search query. The search results are generally presented in a line of results, often referred to as search engine results pages.

Top 5 Search Engines

According to statistics from Statista  the top 5 search engines worldwide in terms of market share are Google, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, and Yandex

How can I choose my search engine

Your default search engine will depend on the device you are using:

Windows computer – the default search engine is Bing as this is the Microsoft offering. It is easy to make another search engine your default. For example, to change to using Google as your search engine on a Windows computer:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge.
  2. At the top right, click Settings and more Settings and more and then Settings.
  3. On the left, click Privacy and Services. If you don’t find this, first click the Menu Menu at the top left.
  4. Scroll to the bottom and click Address bar.
  5. In the “Search engine used in the address bar” drop-down, select Google.

On just about any other device such as ipad or android tablet or phone the default is Google. Similarly to change your search engine on an Android device:

  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Chrome app Chrome.
  2. To the right of the address bar, tap More More and then Settings.
  3. Under ‘Basics’, tap Search engine.
  4. Select the search engine that you want to use.

Recently visited search engines will be added as options for your default search engine.