Search engines - how to find what you want

All searched out? Try our handy tips to get you on your way.

A simple explanation of common search engines, with tips for successful searching

By Emma Kae - 6th January 2003 - Back to News

Search engines are one of the main features of the Internet. Without them, the Internet would be less of a tool for discovery, and much more about a company’s advertising budget. After all, how are you to know about the best websites available if you are unable to find them? Search engines enable us to locate information on just about every topic, from contact details for your local plumber to the habits of exotic snails on the other side of the globe.

So what are search engines and how do they work?

Search Engines can exist in two ways – within a website (searches the content of that website only) or in the form of an individual website (searches a multitude of external websites). Both types have a text area where the visitor types in key words that describe the information that they are looking for and a submit (or "search" or "go") button that begins the search. See example below.

When the search is started, the engine searches its database of webpages for text that matches the keywords that were entered. It compiles a list of matches as links and returns them to the visitor. The visitor is then able to visit the individual websites and determine if the information is relevant to them.

Are all search engines the same?

No. Some search engines are topic specific, and only include websites on that subject, while others search for just about anything. The search engine that you use will depend on what you are trying to find. Dictionary.com, for example, searches only for words and returns only their definitions.

It is also important to note that different search engines will interpret the same keywords differently, so it is important to understand how the engine that you use works.

Which search engines are the best?

Most people who use the Internet regularly will have a personal favourite that they use all of the time. The search engine that we have found to be the most useful is Google, but other great search engines include:

Tips for searching success:

Formulating Keywords:

Think carefully about the keywords that you are searching with. Try to use exact product, service, place or name titles with accurate spelling. Some search engines, such as Google, will prompt you if your keywords were close but not quite right. The more words that you use, the more refined your search will become.

While some search engines automatically exclude common words such as "the", "and" "or", Google allows you to search for phrases that include these words by placing a sentence within talking marks, such as "the doors".

Another great tip for searching is to use + and – symbols. The "+" symbol instructs the search engine that this term is required in the results. Similarly, the "-" symbol states that any page that includes that term should be excluded from the results. Simply place the symbol directly before the term, without a space. For example; +motorsport +holden –ford

You can combine the two techniques to further refine your searching to find something specific, such as the words to a song, eg. +"Breakfast at Tiffanys" +"Deep Blue Something" +lyrics.

Searching Results:

The results of a search are presented differently for each search engine. Google lists the websites that have the most terms contained in your key phrase at the very top. These websites are usually selected from the most popular related websites (popularity is measured by how many other websites link to that page).

Most search engines include an excerpt from the source webpage in the results. This helps to illustrate the context that the keywords are being used in. The word "Myer" for example, could return information about the Coles-Myer chain of stores, the Myer family tree or a biography of the actor Mike Myers. For this reason, it is a good habit to scan this summary information to see at a glance if it is relevent.

You can open many pages and keep the existing window open by holding down the "shift" key as you click on the link, or by pressing the right hand button on the mouse and selecting "open in a new window". This allows you to investigate many leads, while keeping the existing results page open for more resources.

Happy searching!

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com