• By Bikram Rahi

Unlock hidden tips to optimize internet searches. Discover local creators on Modelsearcher for tailored results.

Disclaimer: This Page section is for mature audiences who are adults 21 years and above. If you are below 21, please close the website. View at your discretion.

Navigating the Internet: How to Efficiently Use Search Engines

Searching for information is one of the most common uses of the internet. You can search how to fix something in your house, or even find creators in your area on Modelsearcher. The internet contains a lot of information, so it is important to know how to search for the specific information or data that you need. The last thing you want to happen is you wasting time while scrolling through irrelevant information. This article will guide you on how to use search engines efficiently so you do not have to waste a lot of time.

Choose the Right Search Engine

Using the right search engine is crucial when searching the internet. For example, Google Scholar is used for searching academic journals that are peer-reviewed. Every search engine has its own advantages and disadvantages. Each also has different functions and tricks in searching so make sure to know some of them.

Use Proper Keywords

Use the correct keywords when searching since searching having general keywords might result in a lot of irrelevant results. However, if you want to see broad information, then a general search could also be appropriate.

Quotation Marks

If you want specific words or phrases to appear in the results, put them inside quotation marks (“). The search engine will include all results that have the same exact words or phrases. Make sure not to put too many words inside the quotation marks since it might cut off a lot of relevant results. 

Use Google’s site: Option

Google has the option to only include results from a specific website or top-level domain. For example, including the phrase site:ScienceDirect at your search will only give results that are from ScienceDirect.com. Using site:gov will only give results that have the .gov domain.

Remove Specific Words Using the Minus Sign

Using the minus sign (-) will give results that do not contain the specific word that you do not want to see. For example, adding -cars on your search will remove results that have the word “cars” in them. This is a very useful searching trick to remove irrelevant information.

Use Other Operators

There are lots of operators that can be used to optimize your searches. AND and OR both can be used to find information that include one or the other of the terms that you searched. AND will include results that have both of your search terms, while OR will include one of the search terms. Using an asterisk (*) is for a wildcard search. If you remember a part of the information that you are searching for, but not all, include an asterisk so that the search engine can easily replace the words that have the asterisk.

Another operator is using related: which include similar results for a specific search term. Lastly, putting a tilde (~) in front of a search term will include synonyms of that term.

Use the Advanced Search Option

A lot of search engines have this option. It allows you to search for images only, or videos only, or even results from the map, or commercial websites. The advanced search option is an easy way to optimize your search since you can easily click from the given options.

Consider the Effect of Cookies

Your previous search history affects your every new search. The majority of search engines are made to employ cookies in order to facilitate your search. This is fantastic in a lot of ways since they make an effort to personalize and make your search results relevant. You'll find what you're looking for faster if you frequently search for terms that are related to each other.

It does, however, have certain disadvantages, particularly if you frequently conduct a lot of irrelevant searches. If it happens, you might want to try and clear cookies from your browser.

Takeaway

Knowing these tricks can save a lot of your time when you are searching. You might not be able to memorize them at first, but practicing them every time you do a search can help a lot so that you quickly optimize your searches.