Search engines aren’t just an effective way to look up information—they’re also a valuable business tool. Whether you’re looking to find new customers or conduct market research, Google and other search engines provide plenty of data that can be used to your advantage. To improve your Google searches, follow these seven tips! 7 Ways to Improve Your Google Search
1) Study some SEO
Whether you’re looking for a job or trying to promote your business, learning SEO (search engine optimization) is an incredibly useful skill. It can help you drive relevant traffic to your website, which makes it easier for people who are interested in what you have to offer find you. A few minutes of studying basic SEO principles can go a long way toward improving your web presence and helping you make more money.
2) Save time searching through your browser
When you’re on a search mission and don’t have time to dig through several different sites, your browser search bar can help. You can cut out extra steps by entering keywords or phrases directly into your browser. This might save time in some cases, but if you’re looking for something that would be buried deep within another site—or if you want to get your results as quickly as possible—stick with Googling straight from a browser that has all of your relevant data.
3) Know how to use operators
If you’re hunting for a particular document, image, or other file online, operators can help narrow down your search. If you know how to use operators in Google search, you can request that only pages containing specific words (and excluding others) appear in your results. If a specific word is not present on a page, it won’t show up in your results; if it is present on a page, it will show up. Here are some common search operators
4) When you have the answer, don’t stop searching
You’ve found an answer that works for you, and you don’t want to go through the hassle of looking for a better one. Sometimes we stop searching too soon—and miss out on finding other answers that might work even better than our original solution. Don’t stop searching until you’re sure there is no other answer out there!
5) When you don’t know what you’re looking for, ask questions
What does a search engine need to be able to do? Sometimes it’s as simple as just asking it. If you’re looking for an answer, or a piece of information, but don’t know how else to go about finding it, simply type How do I…? (where I is whatever you’re looking for help with) into your search bar.
6) Don’t get frustrated by not finding what you want instantly
If you’re looking for a specific piece of information, you may be tempted to keep clicking through results and refining your search. But try not to get frustrated if what you want doesn’t show up immediately. Instead, keep searching—and look for sources that are authoritative or highly cited by other sites. Remember that authoritative websites tend to appear toward the top of search results. So make sure your search terms match closely with your intended topic.
7) Learn from the pros!
When searching for any kind of information online, be sure to look at multiple sources and types. Don’t just go on what you see first or even second in your search results – take a moment and research a few sites. You never know where you might find an amazing resource!