What this site is
SearchEngines.Net exists to answer three related questions as clearly and accurately as possible: how did search engines get to where they are today, what does the terminology behind them actually mean, and which search engines exist right now. The History section covers the first, the Glossary the second, and the Directory the third. Together they're built as a reference to return to, not a one-time read — each section is updated as the search landscape changes, and the market share data in particular is refreshed periodically since it dates quickly.
Who maintains it
This site is written and maintained by Bill Hartzer, founder of Hartzer Consulting and DNAccess. For more than 25 years, Bill has advised organizations ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies on technical SEO (Search Engine Optimization), website and domain migrations, search engine marketing, domain name strategy, and domain security and recovery.
Bill's work spans the intersection of search engines, domain names, digital advertising, internet infrastructure, and cybersecurity — a broad perspective that shapes how this site approaches its subject matter. Rather than treating search history, terminology, and the current search landscape as separate topics, SearchEngines.Net treats them as one continuous story, because in practice they are: today's AI Overviews and Answer Engine Optimization exist because of algorithm updates from a decade earlier, which exist because of PageRank, which exists because of a discovery problem that predates the web itself.
Bill also serves as an expert witness in legal matters involving SEO, SEM (Search Engine Marketing), domain name disputes, and internet investigations, and maintains a dedicated practice at Domain Name Expert Witness. That work regularly requires explaining exactly the kind of material found here — how search engines actually work, what specific terminology means, and how the search landscape has changed over time — to attorneys, judges, and juries who need accurate information without unnecessary complexity. This site applies the same standard.
Editorial approach
Three principles guide what gets published here:
- Evidence over assumption. Claims about history, terminology, or current market conditions are sourced and dated rather than repeated from general impression, and figures that change over time (like search engine market share) carry a clear "as of" date and a link to the original source.
- Plain English without oversimplification. Technical terms are defined in-line rather than assumed or avoided, so the content is useful to both newcomers and specialists.
- Practical relevance over completeness for its own sake. Coverage is prioritized by what actually affects how people understand or work with search, not by an exhaustive checklist.
Get in touch
For consulting inquiries, technical SEO audits, website or domain migration planning, or expert witness engagements, visit Hartzer Consulting. For domain name security, recovery, and portfolio management, visit DNAccess.