We all love Google, right? I'm not talking about the company here, though there is lots of love at MakeUseOf for Eric Schmidt and his cohorts. I am instead talking about the Google homepage, the starting point of so many weird and wonderful journeys across the InterWebs.

The Google search engine is a fantastic resource for those of us who spend half our lives online, hence its inclusion in the list of the 7 wonders of the Web, but it isn't the only one of its kind. Love it or hate it, Microsoft does offer an alternative in the form of Bing, a highly capable search engine that deserves more exploring.

I advise everyone reading this to check out Bing to see if it offers anything over Google. Aaron recently highlighted some of the best bits of Bing, but you'll no doubt be able to find even more on your own. Whether or not you do, you're unlikely to abandon Google altogether, and thankfully you don't have to take such drastic measures to enjoy the best of both worlds.

What follows are four websites which show the results from both of the biggest search engines together on one page.

Bing Vs. Google

If ever there was a website with a most appropriate name then it's this one. Bing Vs. Google does exactly what you'd expect it to do, presenting the results for your particular search query from both contenders side by side for comparison purposes. You simply type in your word or phrase as you would on Google or Bing, hit Search, and see the results from both sites presented for your delectation.

The number of additional options is limited to just splitting the results horizontally or vertically, and switching between the results from Google, the results from Bing, and the results from both together. However, this approach makes for a clean site which is easy to use and easy to navigate. You're essentially getting the full Google and Bing experiences combined into one.

Qrobe.it

Qrobe not only searches Google and Bing, it also adds Ask to the mix. You enter the term you're interested in finding into the space provided, hit Search, and let Qrobe work its magic. On the next page you're presented with the combined search results from three of the major search engines.

You can search the Web or Images, or enter the Popular tab to be presented with a rundown of the biggest stories on Reddit. You can also explore the 'List of Qrobe PowerSearch shortcuts' by clicking 'PowerSearch commands'. These vary greatly in terms of usefulness but they add to the overall worthiness of Qrobe.

Askboth

Askboth is currently in beta, and has been since at least 2009. Its tagline "Why google or bing?. Just ask both!" spells out its mission statement with consummate ease, as presenting the results from both search engines is its primary function. As with the rest of the sites on this list you simply write your search term in the space provided and wait for the magic to happen.

The results page of Askboth is particularly good looking, with Google given its own space on the left and Bing its own space on the right. The middle is given over to Twitter, which is a nice addition to the line up. There's a distinct lack of added features, but Askboth benefits from its uncomplicated approach.

Specra

Specra offers the same as the other sites on this list, but with one subtle difference. You are given the opportunity to assign weights to Google, Bing, and Yahoo in order to artificially affect the way the search results are presented. Whatever external pressure you apply, Specra gathers the results from all three search engines and "ranks them according to a simple algorithm."

Conclusions

All of these websites offer an opportunity to see more results than you would do using just the one search engine. Google and Bing differ in the way they find and organize results, so using one or more of these options could see you finding new and/or alternative content than you did previously. After all, how many of us read past the first page of results? Honestly?

Do you use Google, Bing, Yahoo, or a different search engine altogether? Are you attached to your first choice option or are you open to the alternatives out there? If you try any of the above combination search engines then please let us know what you think of it and why it's better than the others on the list. We'd love to hear your views in the comments section below.

Image Credit: Vincente Aggrippino