Smart Search Engine Newbie
Fast-track your search on the Web with these smart tips:
Be Specific. Type in precisely what you’re looking for on a search engine. For eg, try “salmon” instead of “fish”. You can also use precision searches available on most engines. Try the “I’m feeling lucky” option at Google.com. It’ll take you directly to the one site the search engine thinks is the best match.
Go meta. A meta search is a tool that queries several search engines simultaneously, combining the various results into a single list, throwing out duplicates. So, no more sifting through duplicate webpages when you search using a different engine. Check out MetaCrawler, one of the first to provide metasearches.
Don’t you just hate having to keep hitting the “Back” button to return to your list of search results? Here’s how to avoid it: Open each site from the list in a new window. Right-click on the link you want to visit and choose “Open in new window.” Your original list of search results will remain open in a separate window.
Plus-Minus. Learn a little search engine math by using “+” and “-” signs to tell the search engine which search words to use and/or exclude.