Why Search Engine Size Matters

Last updated Jul. 12, 2023.
by Greg R.

Why is a search engine's database size important? Even with the best relevance ranking technology, search features, and user interface, a search tool will not find the record that does not exist in its database. With a constantly changing Web that offers new and changed information content daily, the large search engine databases become crucial tools for finding answers to questions beyond the very general and popular content offered by portals.

Examples of where the larger database matters:

• Searching for plagiarism
• Name searches (especially uncommon names)
• Citation verification
• Unusual, very specific topics
• Hard to find products

While a small, selective database may be more useful for extremely popular queries and very general topics, the strength of a large search engine database is that it can find Web pages on less popular subjects, unusual products, distinctive keywords, smaller companies, small towns, and many other types of questions.

For the latest Search Engine Showdown size comparisons, check the statistics page.