/en/searchbetter/all-about-online-search/content/
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When you have a question, need information, or must find something specific, you need the best tools in order to find what you're looking for. That's where Google comes in.
Google is the go-to search engine for most Internet users. It's so popular, in fact, that it has changed the way many of us talk about searching for information online. Have you ever heard someone use the word google as a verb, for example?
"I don't know the answer. Just google it!"
"Whoa! You won't believe what we found when we googled your name."
"Relax ... I'm googling the address right now."
There are many reasons Google is so popular. For one, it's easy to use—even for beginners. It's also more effective than the average search engine, making it easier to find what you're looking for. In addition, Google is home to a variety of features that can improve your search experience in surprising ways.
Want to learn more? Watch this video from Google to see some of its search features in action.
There are several ways to conduct a Google search. If you're new to Google, take a look at the options below. You'll want to keep them in mind when we start exploring search strategies on the next page.
Go to Google's homepage at google.com. From here, conducting a search is straightforward. Just type your search terms in the box, then click the Google Search button or press Enter on your keyboard.
Depending on your browser's default search engine, you may be able to conduct a Google search right from the browser's interface. For example, in Chrome you can use the address bar. In Firefox (pictured below), you can use the address bar or the built-in search bar. Both of these options can be convenient if you remember to use them.
If the default search engine for your browser is something else (like Yahoo! or Bing), you can easily change it to Google. To find out how, follow these instructions on Google's support site. The steps are different for each browser, so make sure to follow the instructions for the one you're using.
If you have a mobile device, you can download the Google app for iOS or Android. Because it's optimized for Google search, you may find that the app is faster or easier to use than your device's web browser.
With a few basic search strategies, you can find almost anything online. It doesn't matter if you're using Google, Yahoo!, Bing, or some other type of search engine; most of the techniques in this video are universal. Take a look, and find out how you can improve your web search skills.
Watch the video to learn about searching online.
Use our Google Search Cheat Sheet to help you remember a few basic search strategies. To download and print a copy of your own, click the image below.
Depending on your search, the format of your results may vary. Google chooses different types of information based on what it thinks will be most useful to you. This means your results could include maps, a portion of a Wikipedia article, lists of books or movies, and more.
Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn your way around the different parts of the results page.
Use the search box to continue your investigation. Search for different keywords to refine your search results, or try a different topic all together. You don't have to go back to the Google homepage to search again.
When you search for a term related to a business or product, Google may present you with a map and several nearby businesses related to your search term.
Sometimes, the results page features a large number of ads or sponsored posts. While some ads can be distracting, misleading, or downright annoying, others can be helpful.
The method Google uses to determine which ads will be relevant to you (and your search) is effective and generally provides useful results. Just remember to use your judgment and evaluate everything you see.
Just because a website paid to post an ad doesn't mean it's the best or the most reliable resource.
Was your search successful? Your search results can include webpages, images, and many other types of content that have some relevance to what you're looking for.
To view a search result, click the one you want.
Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about the types of content you can search for by using the options above the search results.
Under All, you'll find results from all the content types (including images and news articles) but mostly webpages that match your search terms.
It may help to think of this option as a summary, plus a preview of what you can find under some of the other content types.
Google Images lets you browse pictures that match your search terms. If you want to see the full-sized version of an image (as well as the website it came from), all you have to do is click the one you want.
You can also click Search tools to filter the results by subject, size, color, and more.
Visit News to view news articles that match your search terms. Most of the results come from well-known websites like CNN.com, but they can also come from other sources (like blogs and local news providers).
In Videos, you'll find videos that relate to your search terms from video-hosting sites like YouTube, Vimeo, and more. Simply click a video to view it.
Here, you'll find results for products that match your search terms. You can even use the Search tools to filter the results by price, brand name, and whether the product is in stock nearby. This is a great resource for shopping online when you don't know where to find what you're looking for.
Click here to search for maps, books, flights, and more.
Contrary to what you might think, advanced search strategies aren't just for advanced users. They're for everyone, whether you have a lot of experience with Google or just a little. The only tool you need is Google's Advanced Search page. You can access it from the results page by clicking Settings.
If you've never seen the Advanced Search page, you may be surprised by some of the things you can do. For example, you can narrow your results by language or reading level. You can also limit your search results to pages that have a certain domain, such as .gov or .edu.
Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn more about the Advanced Search page.
These options should look familiar if you've already reviewed our basic search strategies. Here, you can refine your results using techniques like searching for an exact phrase. You can also search for pages that contain one of several relevant search terms, like discount OR deal.
You must enter at least one search term in this section in order to use the options below (under Then narrow your results by...).
Are you a native English speaker? What if you're helping a friend find information in French? Use this option to search for web content that's written in another language, from Afrikaans to Vietnamese and everything in between.
Depending on what you're looking for, limiting your search to a specific region can lead to some interesting results. Take the American Revolutionary War, for example. Compared to the U.S., do you think webpages in the U.K. would have a slightly different perspective? Probably. Of course, you can also use this feature to search for more general information from different regions.
If the information you've found seems out of date, you may want to narrow your results to pages that have been updated more recently. Your options range from the past 24 hours to pages that have been updated within the past year.
Use this option to search a single website (for example, about.com) or a certain type of website. You can do the latter by limiting your search results to one domain. The domains are as follows:
• .edu: colleges, universities, and other school websites
• .org: organizations
• .gov: agencies of the U.S. government
By default, Google searches for information that contains your search terms anywhere in the page. If you want to limit your search to one part of the page (like the page title), you can do that here.
This may be useful for locating something very specific, like a website you've been to before but can't recall the address.
Google's SafeSearch filter lets you filter out sexually explicit content. You can choose from either Show most relevant results or Filter explicit results.
Are you hoping to find a file that contains your search terms, rather than a webpage? Here, you can search for PDFs, spreadsheets, Word documents, and other common file types.
In general, you're not allowed to copy and paste information you find online and claim it as your own. However, there are some exceptions, including works in the public domain and content that's been licensed by the original author. With the usage rights option, you can search for this type of content.
Use this section to narrow your results using much more specific criteria. Remember: You must enter at least one search term in the section above in order to use these options.
Sometimes it's not enough to know all the basic and advanced search strategies. If you still can't find what you're looking for, you may need to try different search terms—and this time, really use your critical thinking skills. Let's take a look at some examples.
Let's say you're looking for a place where you could adopt a dog. What words do you think OTHER people would use to describe this? Maybe shelter? Or rescue? You could even search for an adoption center by name (for example, humane society).
The truth is, shelter and rescue are pretty common terms, both in popular culture and among people in the pet adoption community. This means they're more likely to appear on a webpage than place to adopt a dog. Notice how that sounds slightly less official?
If you know the popular term for the information you're looking for, search for it instead. If you don't know the popular term, look closely at your original search results to see what you can find. If you notice any keywords that appear more frequently than others, it might be a clue.
In certain parts of the country, fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year. If you're a leaf peeper—someone who's willing to travel in order to view or photograph fall foliage—you need to know when the leaves are going to be at their most colorful.
Of course, you could search for fall foliage forecast. But this may not produce the most comprehensive results. This is because there are so many other words you could use to describe what you're looking for. For example:
In short, try a few synonyms if your original search terms were unsuccessful. You may need to experiment with different combinations and then compare the results to figure out which keywords work best. You can also use advanced search strategies to search for multiple terms (for example, fall OR autumn).
Again, if you don't know any synonyms, look at your original results. Review some of the language used there to see whether they give you any ideas.
Google fast facts are tricks you can use to get answers to common questions. They can also help you with everyday tasks like tracking packages and looking up sports scores. All you have to do is type your query in the search box using one of the techniques below, and the answer will appear instantly at the top of the results page.
Review our Google Fast Facts Cheat Sheet to learn more about using fast facts at home. To download and print a copy of your own, click the image below.
If you really like Google, there are several things you can do to make your experience more personal. For example, you could sign up for a Google account, which gives you access to even more Google services. For more information, review the resources below.
To learn more about searching, visit these resources below.
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