Is there a website that people can use to try and identify insects they find in their homes? Surely, if we can identify typefaces online, it should be possible to look up bugs.
Reason I ask is that yesterday, I was called to deal with a bug that was almost a half inch in diameter. It was flat and thin, grayish and its sides were serrated. I don’t think it was able to fly, but am not 100% sure of that.
It didn’t look like any sort of termite or roach, and since it was not reddish or under 1/4" long, I’m pretty sure it’s not a bedbug.
It sounds like you found a true bug (order Hemiptera), which doesn’t narrow it down much but should provide a starting point.
As for your other question, there are a few websites out there that can do what you want to some degree, including Wikipedia and the site TheChileanBlob linked to.
The problem with this is that the insects are a large and prolific class: Even after you’ve narrowed it down to a fairly specific sub-grouping, you might still be looking at a substantial number of species. You might try approaching it from another direction, and see if a nearby university has a website with information relevant to your specific region.