Search Engines and How They Relate to Each Other

How exactly do the search engines and directories relate to each other? Who feeds whom with search results? Who supplies others with pay-per-click results? As we endeavor to gain a better foothold in search engine rankings, it can be beneficial to understand them and how they work.

Bruce Clay (BruceClay.com) provides a nifty “Search Engine Relationship Chart” that they update as the engines change their alliances, merge with each other, and sometimes just drop out of the race. Visit their Chart page and when you mouse-over any of the engines/directories, it will take you to a page that explains the nuances surrounding that search engine. Pretty cool. They are also a quality SEO company with other tips as well.