Workshops - Search Engine Tips

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Using Internet Search Facilities

For this simple workshop all you'll need is access to an Internet connection.
Difficulty Level: 1

A number of powerful search utilities exist on the Internet, and you have probably used search services such as Google, AltaVista, and Lycos .

Through entering keywords, you can find information on almost any subject, but with so much data on the Internet, finding exactly what you want can sometimes be a difficult and time consuming task.

Internet searches can be made more effective by crafting your queries with a little more care. Here we explore a few methods for refining your searches which may help you achieve better results in less time.

Step 1:

If you're looking for a specific set of results, try using more than one word.

For example if your search for information on restaurants, enter 'restaurants glasgow city centre' (without the speech marks), and if you are using Google, ensure 'pages from the UK' is selected. This ensures that pages relevant to restaurants in Glasgow city centre, from the UK, will appear in your results.

Step 3:

Using the plus (+) symbol or the word AND between words ensures that both words are included in the search results. For example by entering Camping+Highlands you will find details of campsites in the Highlands.

If you where to omit the plus symbol, searching for Camping Highlands would probably result in a list of tourism in the Highlands websites, hotels in the Highlands, and anything else related to the Highlands may appear.

Note that some search engines may not recognise the plus symbol. In this case use the word AND instead, but remember to include spaces between the word AND and your keywords, for example: Restaurants AND Glasgow .

Step 2:

You can also search for specific phrases that appear in websites by including them in double quotation marks.

For example, by typing the words tv guide , you may well get a list of subjects ranging from manufacturers of television sets to tour guides.

Repeating the search with the keywords in double quotation marks ("tv guide") will limit the search purely to websites that have tv guide listings.

Step 4:

You can also use the operator OR to ensure that your results contain at least one of your keywords. The | symbol also performs this function. For example searching for Music Bono OR U2 would result in webpages that relate to both the famous singer and his rock band.

Combining Your Operators:

You can create very effective searches by combining the operators AND (+) and OR (|). For example, if you were looking for a Bed and Breakfast in either Millport or Arran that has an ensuite, you could type: B&B Ensuite AND Millport OR Arran.

Using combinations of keywords, along with the operators AND/OR can narrow your results, and help you find things a lot quicker. Now that you have learned the basics click here to give it a go!