Feature: Meta search turns up loads of ads

Meta search engines are returning up to 86% paid-for entries in their search results without identifying them clearly to users, according to a report from searchenginewatch.com.

The meta engines tested, Dogpile, Mamma, MetaCrawler, qbSearch, Search.com and Ixquick, take a user query and submit it to multiple search engines simultaneously and display the results on a single page.

In the past year, many search engines have introduced some sort of paid-for scheme but usually indicate which entries are ads and which are derived ‘editorially'. According to Searchenginewatch, the meta engines have been slow to reflect this. Dogpile, for example, derives 60% of its results from paid-for listings, which can mean up to 86% of results on the front page are paid-for.