The Internet puts a wealth of information at our fingertips. However, it can sometimes be difficult to find exactly what you're looking for. Search engines greatly alleviate that difficulty, but, even with their help, it can be difficult to hone in on a specific piece of information.

Site Used

Don't be fooled into thinking all search engines are created equally. While some have billions of websites in their databases, others are specifically designed to search one topic, such as a medical, scientific, religious or paranormal search engine. The major ones usually find what you need though, so start with search engines like Google or Bing.

Words Matter

Choose your search wisely. All but the most-commonly used words are included in the search. According to the search site Google, common words such as "a", "for" and "the" are typically left out of search results.


Putting your search in parentheses will return web pages that say exactly the same words in that order. This can be useful for specific searches. For example, if you wanted to find Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech, you could enter "I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted" in parentheses to find that exact phrase on the web. Without parentheses, the search engine would look for each word individually.

Keep it Simple

The simpler the search is, the more likely you are to get related information. Every word you add to the search gives the engine another direction, which could lead to results that don't relate to what you're looking for.

Plus Sign

Plus signs in a search indicate words you want in the result no matter what. For example, if you're looking for the X-Box 360 game "Tekken 6," you could enter "Tekken 6 +360" to make sure every result has to do with the X-Box 360.

Minus Sign

The Tekken 6 game is also on the Playstation 3, so you could use a minus sign to signify words you want omitted from the results. For example, "Tekken 6 -Playstation" should get rid of most of the results that have the word "Playstation" in them.

Search Engine vs. Directory

Search engines such as Google search the web for specific words to bring you pages related to those words. A directory categorizes websites based on their purpose. For example, Yahoo! and MSN are directories and search engines because they offer both categories and search features.

Multiple Search Engines



Instead of asking a question like "When is the winter solstice?" instead enter something similar to "The winter solstice is."

Stay Focused and On Topic

It's easy to dive into search results and either find yourself off topic, or 10 pages deep into the results. Every result has less to do with your original search than the result before it. So if after a few pages you haven't found what you're looking for, either rephrase your search or try a different search engine.

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