The ability to search for information online is one of the most important digital literacy skills you can possess. It allows you to quickly find what you're looking for without having to sift through pages of irrelevant results.
The most important tool in this process is the search engine, which is a specialized website that searches for information across the Internet. You've probably heard of the most popular ones, including Google, Yahoo!, and Bing, and while each of them are useful, they can also yield different results.
When it comes to starting a search, there are two common methods that are both easy to find and user-friendly.
OPTION 1: The Homepage
OPTION 2: Your Browser's address bar.
There are some Search Strategies that can HELP YOU! when using a search engine.
Keep it simple: Make your searches brief by focusing on keywords, then keep the number of these keywords to a minimum. This way, you're more likely to get relevant results.
Consider suggestions: As you enter your term, search engines will suggest the most popular results involving the term so don't be afraid to select one, as they can often give you plenty of new ideas.
Use natural language: You don't have to use complicated words or phrases to get results. Search engines can recognize the language you naturally use in your everyday life, so feel free to try whatever comes to mind.
Depending on your search, the format of your results may vary based on what the search engine thinks will be most useful. This means your results could include maps, a portion of a Wikipedia article, lists, and more. here are some steps of how search engines get to your answer.
Crawling: Search engines use automated software programs called crawlers (also known as spiders or bots) to systematically browse the web and discover web pages. These crawlers follow links from one page to another, collecting data about the content of each page they encounter.
Indexing: Once the crawlers gather information about web pages, the search engine indexes this information, organizing it in a way that makes it easier to retrieve when someone performs a search. Indexing involves analyzing the content of each page, including text, images, and metadata, and storing this information in a searchable database.
Ranking: When a user enters a search query, the search engine retrieves relevant results from its index. To determine the order in which results are displayed, the search engine uses algorithms that consider various factors, such as the relevance of the content to the query, the authority and trustworthiness of the website, and the user's location and search history. The goal is to present the most useful and relevant results at the top of the list.
Displaying Results: Finally, the search engine presents the search results to the user in the form of a list of links, along with brief snippets of text (called snippets) that provide a preview of each result. Depending on the search query and the user's preferences, the search engine may also display other types of content, such as images, videos, news articles, maps, or featured snippets.
Near me
Including the phrase near me in your searches can provide all sorts of information. Just type something like food near me, coffee near me, or gas near me, and Google will look for nearby examples. Even a phrase like cool places near me delivers unique results, so don’t hesitate to try new ideas.
Math and geometry calculators
To get help with math, enter a problem into the search bar, like 42 divided by 11 or 19*8, and Google will provide both the answer and a calculator.
Conversions
You can convert many types of measurement, including distance, weight, and temperature. For example, type 5 kilometers to miles, or 30 quarts to gallons to get an instant conversion. You can also use abbreviations, like f for Fahrenheit or kg for kilograms, to keep your typing to a minimum.
Definitions and translations
For help with language and vocabulary, type define and any word to get a definition sourced from the Oxford Dictionary, along with any common synonyms and antonyms.
Weather
Whenever you need your local weather, type weather, or add a place name to get the forecast for almost any place on Earth, from Phoenix to Mount Everest.
Distance between places
To find the distance between places, enter two different locations with the word to in between them, for example raleigh to asheville.
Shipment tracking
Finally, you can track shipments by entering your tracking number, then clicking your carrier to get all of the details.
CLICK ON THE VIDEO BELOW TO WATCH SOME HIDDEN FEAURES!