Searching the Internet

Finding Stuff

What We'll Learn

• 1. What a Search Service does

  2. Tips for improving Internet Search

Search Service Providers

A number of companies make search engines that will help you find information on the Internet. Some of the biggest search engines are: Google Search, Microsoft Bing, and Yahoo Search. Although they all do roughly the same thing, Google is currently the leader in both usage and number of websites it has indexed. You can see the market share of each company below:

Exercise - Microsoft Bing

Most of this lesson will be focused on Google Search. First, let's take a few minutes to explore Microsoft's Bing Search by clicking the link below:

• Bing

Google Search

Google provides the best search service on the Internet. It's worth spending some time to familiarize yourself with how Google search works so that you can find what you want accurately and quickly.

First let's take a look at the Google Search Results screen layout:

The page is divided into four sections:

• 1. Top - this is where you type your search text

  2. Search Filters - You can filter the results of your search to be more specific

  3. Search Results - The list of recommendations that match your search, including separate sections for news, images, video, and ads.

  4. Bottom - go to additional pages, shows your current physical location

Search Tips

Check out these resources to learn how to get better search results:

Exercise - Exploring Search Options

You can quickly narrow down the type of thing you're searching for by using one of the options at the top of the Google search results page.

Try the following:

• 1. Click on Images

  2. Check out the Search Tools

  3. Click on Videos and explore the Search Tools

  4. Repeat for each of the other items

Exercise - Improving Your Search

Try using Google Chrome to search by voice:

• 1. Open Google Chrome

  2. Go to the Google Search Page

  3. Click on the Microphone

  4. Say a phrase from the link below

1. Learn more about what you can ask Google

Click on the article below and explore a number of helpful tips for improving your search further:

• How to search on Google

For some further exploration, try out these helpful resources:

• Advanced search tips and tricks

• a Google a Day

Next

• Online Accounts

• Using the Internet Overview

• Main Tutorials Page