The possibilities on the Internet seem endless from trivia to breaking news the information is there waiting to be retrieved. With different search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing, the best and quickest way to find what you are looking for is often confusing. Many users have their own preference when it comes to search engines, but what might not be realized is that the internet comes with a few extra tricks that will speed up a search and eliminate the superfluous choices.
Using these strategies will save a lot of valuable time weeding through matches that are not what you were looking for. Incorporating these tips into your search talent will help you develop a search capability that will be the envy of all your friends.
Bookmarking Your Favorites
Most internet surfers know to bookmark their favorite websites, but it is also important to bookmark at least three different search engines. A search engine is a large data base that organizes the web pages and other sites on the internet. No one search engine indexes the entire Internet. It is best to keep the top three favorites bookmarked for quick access.
Before searching, try making a word list of any topics and related terms you expect to find. Key words are very important and can narrow a search that may take a long time. For example, if you are searching for an obscure actor from the late 40’s, you should add not only the actor’s name but perhaps the date he or she was performing and even list a movie or series. This will narrow the search and eliminate some of the annoying extra searches that you want to avoid.
Search Engines are Case Sensitive
Most of the search engines are case sensitive and will give back what has been typed in. If the word is not a proper noun, it is best to type in lower case. For example looking for “types of carrots” would be better typed lower case than to type “Types of Carrots”. This is also true when typing singular versus plural words into the search engine. Singular is better because a match is made when all of what you ask for had been found. The singular word is usually enclosed within the plural so use the singular form of the word.
Many times a searched can be narrowed by adding quotation marks to search for a specific phrase or a multi-word term. This prevents the search engine from listing sites the words separately and it will instead look for the words together.
Tricks for Maximizing Your Search
One pointer that many searchers are not aware of is to use the plus (+) and minus (-) signs in the search engines. These two signs show what to include or exclude from the search results. Do not leave spaces after the + or – signs. Also, by combining the + sign with two or more words will allow the search engine to find sites that contain both words.
You can also incorporate the * key on the keyboard to help with searching. This key, when added to the end of a word, will allow you to find different variants of the word. For example, searching for “elevator lift *” will find, lift, lifters, lifting. This key expands the search to look for words that you might not have thought of before when searching.
A simpler method is just to type the word “title” before the word you are searching. This search will find if what you are looking for is encased in title format.
Other Search Engines to Try
Last but not least is to always be on the lookout for links. Many of the best sites have links to other related pages, groups, and/or additional useful sites. So, when a search has been successful and you would like to find additional sites on this topic, just type your link: then the URL of the site you already know. This will give you additional information on the search you started.
The number of WebPages available is astronomical and seems to be growing every day. It is impossible for one search engine to sort them all out. Find the search engines that you feel the most comfortable with and choose three to bookmark. Some others that you might like to try besides the three mentioned at the top of the article are: AskJeeves ,Dogpile, Excite, Lycos, and Infoseek. Good luck and happy surfing.
Brenda Gargus - Brenda Gargus has a Masters' degree in Psychology and an undergraduate degree in Education. She has taught for 29 years in a variety of ...
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