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What is the Best Way to Search the Internet?

L. S. Wynn
L. S. Wynn
L. S. Wynn
L. S. Wynn

The internet is an amazing resource that provides quick access to all sorts of information. The amount of information, however, is so vast that being able to find what you are looking for is a daunting task. Search engines are the answer. Our favorite search engine is Google because it does an remarkable job of listing relevant search results.

Although Google is powerful and easy to use, here are some tips you can use to get the best results:

  • Don't get stuck on one search term or phrase; if your first search does not give you the type of results you are looking for, try different words or different phrases.
  • Putting quotation marks around a phrase in the search box requires all resulting pages to include that exact phrase to be located somewhere on the page.
  • Keep in mind that most search engines work with AND as the default operator; this means that any words you enter in the search box must exist on the resulting pages (unless you put a hyphen before a word - see following tip)
  • Including a hyphen before a word means that pages that include that word will be omitted from the search results. So if you search for: wise -geek, you will be given pages that include the word 'wise' but exclude the word 'geek'
  • The order of the words you enter into the search box affects results, so try to enter the most important word first.
  • Case is generally irrelevant for searches, so searching for wisegeek or wiseGEEK will provide identical results.
  • If you enter dictionary words, your search terms are listed in the bar below the search box on the results page, and clicking on the word sends you to the definition of the word itself.
  • You can enter math equations such as 27/3 and Google will provide the answer.
  • You can enter a unit conversion such as 33 Celsius in Fahrenheit and Google will provide the answer.
There are a number of ways to search the internet.
There are a number of ways to search the internet.

Perhaps the best tip to getting the most out of the internet, is to realize that it is there and to realize the breadth of information that is available. Before the rise of the internet, people were used to going on with their lives without plenty of relevant information. You would go to the movies without knowing where you could find parking, or you would have a discussion about India without knowing the population. Once you realize that there are answers to virtually any question you could possibly have, you can start thinking about the gaps in your knowledge and using the internet to fill them. You can start to focus on the things you don't know about a particular subject, and instead of proceeding with ignorance, you can learn and explore.

Discussion Comments

anon128751

A friend of mine and I are working on a product that shows people the right way to search online and how to use search engines. My friend is a ninja at research and we feel most people have no idea how to find the correct info online quickly.

anon48714

yea i really can't spell either and i have reports for school and we're not supposed to use google so what other one is there because i need a meta search?

shailendra

I want to use Medium Density Fiber for partition in packaging box. Please advise if there is any environmental issue in it? Can i dispatch it to UK & USA

elena0862

why???? when I type my friend's name and his nic on any search engine his name comes up. and it shows what he watches and downloads I thought the net was private. how can he delete it? he is a pastor will get in trouble watching lot's of porn. I mention this to him but he does not know what to do or how to erase his name from all the search engines. any advice? thanks

olivia

If you find that wiseGEEK articles suit you, then formulate your search engine searches like a wiseGEEK article would be phrased. So, for example, looking for an article on mangosteen juice? Make your search like this: What is Mangosteen Juice? If we have an article on the topic it should show up at or towards the top of the results. If not, you'll still find other sites that have information on your topic. Additionally, you can always come directly to the wiseGEEK homepage to run your search. Feel free to suggest topics that we haven't covered yet by using the "wiseGEEK features" drop down at the top of every article page. Happy searching!

somerset

i think this is the best way to search for definitions: "define:[enter term to be searched without these brackets or quotes]". so, for example:

define:mangosteen

that gets you a variety of definitions, which can be quite helpful depending on what term you are looking for a definition for.

malena

since spelling isn't my strongest suit :), i always pay attention to the very top line on the search results page, on google at least - don't know if the others do too, which often asks me if i meant the proper spelling when i've misspelled something. for example, if i search for "wise geek" the response will be: did you mean: wisegeek? in some situations, proper spelling can be the difference between finding what you're looking for and not!

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