The skill of efficient internet search is a must-have in a world where everything you could possibly want to know can be found online. Efficient internet searching is not as easy as it may seem–at times, it can even be a frustrating, time consuming process. With a few tips and tricks, however, you can learn to eliminate the stress of the search.
First, the basics: a search term that is too general is futile. You know what you are looking for, so type it! Specificity is the key to a quick search. If you want to find a solution to a removing a stain, typing “wine stain in satin” is obviously a better choice than simply “stain removal” Also, if it is a specific term or phrase you are looking for, put your words inside quotation marks. This will only return hits with the words exactly as you gave them and not sites merely containing the words at various locations.
Another way to narrow search results is to include extra commands in your search. The easiest of these to use is called Boolean operators (don’t worry, this is a fancy name for a simple concept). The use of words like “and,” “or,” and “not” restricts the word combinations. Read what each term will do for your search below:
And: This operator will only return pages containing all the words or phrases you have given. A general search may return pages related to only part of your query.
Example: Treasure Island AND Robert Louis Stevenson
Or: This operator will only return pages containing either of the words or phrases you have indicated. This is a way to conduct multiple, related searches at once.
Example: public transportation OR subway transit
Not: This operator will narrow down your results by excluding pages that contain the second phrase you have indicated. With this term you are able to proactively ignore information you do not want.
Example: Australian Outback NOT steakhouse
Another manner of using extra commands in Internet search is the “+/– ” approach. By including either of these symbols right before a word or phrase, you specify your intended results. The “+” sign works like the term “and,” and the “–” sign functions as a “not” (see above explanations).
It is important to remember that not all search engines are the same. They use different formulas for returning results and may use variant lists of websites from the start. Therefore, if you are experiencing difficulty with one engine, try another. You will likely get a new set of results and find what you are looking for. An even faster way to perform this process is through the use of metasearch engines. Sites falling under this category pull results from multiple search engines at once, getting you to the information you need faster.
