Metasearch engine

A metasearch engine looks like a search engine but borrows its answers. When you search, it passes the query to bigger engines, receives their results and ads, and presents them under its own brand. Dogpile is a long-running example of the type.

The business model is search syndication. The metasearch site is a syndication partner of Google, Microsoft or Yahoo, shows their sponsored listings and keeps a revenue share. Many alternative and privacy-branded search sites work in a similar way for their ads.

Metasearch engines matter in search arbitrage for two reasons. They are natural homes for a search feed, with a real search box and real queries. And several arbitrage companies own such sites and buy traffic to them, typically through search ads (Search-to-search) or by distributing browser extensions and default-search placements.

That distribution is where care is needed. A metasearch site people choose to use is a legitimate product. One that people reach only because their browser settings were changed without clear consent falls under search hijacking. The term is also used in travel for price-comparison sites, which is a different business.

Think of it like this

A metasearch engine is like a travel agent who owns no planes or hotels but sells you seats and rooms from the companies that do, earning a commission.