How To Search Google (and others) Effectively.

by Kelly L. Potter

17,100,000. That is how many results I received when I used an Internet search engine to search for a talking clock. The vague search terms I used resulted in too many off-target web pages. Obviously, I don’t have the time to look through 17 million web pages to locate the exact item I need, and I’m guessing you don’t have that kind of extra time either. That is why it is important for you to know how to use search engines effectively to increase the chance the search engine will display results that closely meet your criteria.

The following 5 tips will help you search the Internet more effectively:

1. Enter as many keywords as possible. Most users submit 1 to 2 words per search, which is not enough for an effective query. If you do this, you are likely to yield millions of results, just as I did while searching for the talking clock. Choose 5 to 7 keywords that narrow your search field.
2. Use nouns as keywords. Words such as “a” and “the”, pronouns such as “she” and “he”, and prepositions such as “over” and “to” slow down the search engine and often produce irrelevant results. Some search engines actually ignore these words. If it is important for the search, the search engine probably has an advanced feature that will allow you to include it. For example, in Google, if you need to include the word “the” in a search you can place a “+” in front of the word so that the search engine will include it.
3. Use exact phrases when searching. Phrases are a combination of two or more words that must appear in the documents you trying to locate. Quotation marks should surround each phrase. The ability to search for exact phrases can be extremely useful in locating material online.
4. Understand the Boolean Basics. “Boolean searching” is technique that can narrow your search results and increase the likelihood that relevant results will be displayed. This searching technique involves using Boolean commands, or operators. These commands are AND, OR, and NOT.
   • The AND command will only return documents that contain all the keywords listed. For example, if you search for “Paris” AND “Eiffel Tower” AND “Hours” the results displayed will include all of these terms. AND is the most commonly used Boolean command and most search engines use it without the user needing to type it into the search box.
   • The OR command will return documents that contain any of the keywords. If you search for “Nike” OR “tennis shoes” OR “Air Zoom Plus” the search engine will display documents that contain even one of these three keywords/phrases.
   • The NOT command will return documents that do not contain the keyword listed. If you complete the same search for Nike shoes, but this time included NOT “Air Complete Collection” the results displayed would not include any reference to the Air Complete Collection.

The key is to learn how each search engine will process Boolean commands. In addition to recognizing these three commands, some search engines automatically include the AND command in searches and process the plus (+) and minus (-) signs as another way to express AND or NOT.

5. Use the advanced search features. Most people use search engines by typing words into the query box, selecting the Enter button, and then scanning the results pages. This often results with millions of pages being displayed – most of which will not meet your criteria; however, most search engines do have an advanced search feature which can help you narrow the results.

Google, Bing, and Mahalo –these are a few popular search engines. I tend to use Google the most often because I like the advanced search tool and can usually find what I am looking for within the results it displays. Take the time to try several search engines and the advanced search tools for each. See which one you like the most and become familiar with how to use it.

There are billions of web pages and no formal system for organizing these pages. While search engines provide a vital service in helping you locate the web pages you need, they can only be as effective as the searches you submit. Successful Internet searches can take several attempts; however, if you use the 5 tips and take the time to learn how the search engine you choose works, you will be able to locate the information you need.

Effective Internet searches will not require you to comb through millions of web pages – the search engine should do all that hard work for you! So give several search engines a try and see which ones you prefer. Be sure to visit our internet basics topic for many more tips and tricks. Happy searching!