Searching well
Use a search engine to find what you need, spot adverts, and use simple tricks for better results.
How to find what you're looking for, fast. A search engine, like Google, helps you find information. Type a few words about what you want, and tap search. You'll get a list of results. Each one shows the page title, its address and a short preview. Results marked Ad or Sponsored are adverts. Someone paid to put them at the top, so they aren't always the best answer.
Weak and strong searches
A search that's too short, like the word school, is too vague. A long question can work, but extra words can confuse the results. A strong search uses a few clear key words. Think about the words that would appear on the page you want to find.
Search tricks
Put words inside quote marks to find that exact phrase. Put a minus sign before a word to remove results about it. Apple fruit, minus iPhone, finds the fruit, not the phone. Use the Images tab for pictures, and the News tab for recent news. And if typing is hard, tap the microphone and say your search out loud. If the first search doesn't work, don't give up. Try different words, or fewer words. And remember, the first result isn't always the best. Open two or three, and compare them.
Quick check
Quick check. Which search is most likely to find a recipe for puff puff? Puff puff recipe easy. It uses a few clear key words that will appear on the page you want. Options: food; puff-puff recipe easy; I am hungry; recipe.
Recap
Use a few clear key words. Remember that results marked Ad are paid adverts. Use quote marks for exact phrases, and a minus sign to remove words. And if you don't find it, try different words and compare a few results.
Key points
- A search engine finds pages that match your words. Use a few clear key words.
- Results marked Ad or Sponsored are paid adverts, not always the best answer.
- Quote marks find an exact phrase; a minus sign removes a word; the Images and News tabs narrow your results.
- If you don't find it, try different or fewer words, and compare a few results.
Try it: Pick the best search
Choose the search most likely to work.