| The WWW contains millions of sites. Search engines are useful tools aimed at helping Internet users find the best search results. Still, the downside is that they find too much information. Keep on reading to find out how to get the best search results and find what you're searching for.
So how do search engines work? Search engines make a data bank of sites by sending "spiders" or "robots" to go from link to link. Once they get to a site, they index most words available. When you use a search engine, the engine scans its database of websites to match your keywords to those same keywords in pages in the data bank.
How to make the search more efficient?
- Specify what you're looking for
The more specific you are, the more information you'll find. Tell the search engine exactly what you're looking for. For example, if you're seeking science experiments, enter School Science Fair Projects alternatively of science projects. If you know it's a chemistry experiment, add the word 'chemistry' to your search.
- The + symbol
Type the most crucial terms in your search first. To make sure the search engine finds pages with all the words you're seeking, place the + symbol in front of each word. For example, if you're seeking info on Jennifer Lopez and Mark Antony, then enter +Lopez +Antony. Only pages that have both words will be on the list.
- The - symbol
When you're searching for something specific, use the - symbol. For example, if you're seeking information on Michael Phelps but don't want to read about his sports achievements, enter Michael Phelps -Pro -Swimmer.
- Quotation marks
When search words are put in quotation marks, it's called a "phrase search." The search engine will give you a list of pages that have the words in the exact order as in quotation marks. Fir instance, if you're searching specifically for a bio on Sienna Miller, enter "Sienna Miller Biography".
- Using a combination of symbols
Once you have learnt how the above symbols work, try combining them to get the best search results. A better search, than using a bunch of subtractions, may be to do the following: "Kylie Minogue" -Fever -"CD Review"
- Booleans
Boolean operators (pronounced boo lee ans) can be used in most major search engines which provide advanced searching. The most popular boolean operators are AND, OR and NOT. Booleans are similar to the + and - symbols. AND means "include all of the words," OR means "include any of the words" and NOT means "exclude." For example, if you're seeking info on music and dancing enter music AND dancing. Only pages containing both words will be on the list of search results. |
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