Get the Best Results with Internet Search Engines
Still searching the internet? Follow these suggestions to refine your search to quickly attain more specific information:
Steps
- Choose a few of the most specific or relevant keywords or phrases to describe your topic. Utilize synonyms.
- Place a plus sign (+) prior to each word to view each “word separately” within your search results, such as +writer+grammar+punctuation.
- Place a minus sign (-) prior to each word to “omit a word,” such as recipe-meat for a vegetarian meal.
- Utilize quotation marks, to view “consecutive words of a phrase,” such as “flower arrangement.”
- Utilize hyphens to replace quotation marks, such as To-be-or-not-to-be.
- Utilize plus signs with the quotation of a phrase, such as +baking+”chocolate cake.”
- Connect words and phrases with hyphens and quotation marks to pinpoint the search, such as “baking German-chocolate-cake.”
- Utilize “AND” within a phrase. “James Taylor AND singer” will result with a list of singers with the name of James Taylor.
- Utilize “NOT” to eliminate part of a search. “James Taylor NOT singer” will result with a list of people that are ‘‘not’’ singers, but have the name of James Taylor.
- Utilize “OR.” “James Taylor OR Frank Sinatra” will result with a list of ‘’either or both’’ of these phrases.
- Connect to search similar items, such as “blue-bird OR black-bird OR blackbird.”
- Search thorough your list of web pages to pinpoint information.
Tips
- At the top of any page, type the phrase “search engines” into your Search Bar to attain access to several different internet sites that specifically aid in searching.
- Most sites have an Advanced Search feature and Site Map.
- Sites differ in their searching techniques, searching only one word or many variations of a word as well as many similar words.
- Search engines usually disregard minor words such as “the, and, to, etc.”
- Generally, capitalization and punctuation are not needed.
- Translation of a language may not be entirely accurate. Keywords may result with a different ranking of web pages.
- While searching, bookmark any other sites of interest.
Article provided by wikiHow under a Creative Commons license.
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