PC World published a study yesterday that compared a number of search engines on a variety of search types. In what may come as a surprise to some, Google did not come out on top for every type of search. In fact, AltaVista and AllTheWeb scored higher than Google for simple text searches. Technically, Yahoo tied with Google. But when you consider the fact that Yahoo powers AltaVista and AllTheWeb, those results really say something about Yahoo’s search algorithm.

Of course… I’ve already said that Yahoo has a stellar search algorithm.

As far as text searches are concerned, Live.com didn’t score much lower than Google or Yahoo and, surprisingly, Ask.com scored considerably lower. I’ve always thought Ask had a great search algorithm but I think the main problem here is that their index just isn’t as complete as the other guys.

The main thing that I took from this article, though, is that there isn’t one search engine to end all. Sure… Google is good. And, as PC World points out, Google performed at or near the top in just about every type of search they threw at it. But so did several of the other search engines. And while Google was ultimately the best engine all around, their results were not as “killer” as some would probably have guessed.

I got to thinking… how do I decide which search engine to use?

Live.com has an awesome image search. Yahoo has great general results. Google rocks the house on several fronts. Ask.com has some great features that help refine and narrow a search. Each one of the major search engines has something unique to offer or a type of search that it does better.

The way I see, there are three options:

• Pick one and use it for everything despite the fact that there might be one that’s better
• Bookmark them all and switch between them depending on what I’m searching for
• Study my own search habits and choose one primary search engine with a backup for for other types of searches

Ultimately I think the last option is the best for most people. Think about how you normally use a search engine. Is it for research? Finding pictures? News? Blogs? A jumping-off point for the web?

But don’t just use PC World’s report to make your decision. Play around with each and every one of the search engines and decide which one you like the best. I, for example, haven’t used AltaVista in years… literally. I recently switched from Google to Yahoo as my default search engine and start page (Yahoo! Search… not Yahoo! portal page). So today I decided to try AltaVista for a while and so… I switched again. Back in November and December I was a die-hard Ask.com user. I’ll eventually get around to using Live.com as well.

The point is that your search habits should dictate which search engine you use… not whatever everyone else is using. We sometimes have a tendency to “do what the cool kids” are doing. But the most popular choice isn’t always the best choice, especially when personal preferences are factored in.

Is PC World right? Is Google “the best search engine” for everyone? No. Is Yahoo? No. Live.com? Ask.com? You guessed it - no. But each one is the best search engine for someone. Try them out… find the one you like the best… and then keep a backup around in your bookmarks for those times when you need to do something different.

The Internet is all about personalization these days… and your choice of search engine should be no different.