Search Engine Basics

Search Engine Facts:

• It is case insensitive
• This means you’ll get the same result for the query [Where is Dagupan] and [where is dagupan]
• Every word & sequence matters
• A search for [Potter], [Harry Potter] and [Potter Harry] would yield to different results. Typically, search results would show pages which have the exact sequence of words
• Punctuation is often ignored
• Which means a search for [KFC Delivery #] vs [KFC Delivery] would show the same results. However, there are exceptions to this rule, such as searching for well known terms with punctuations like the programming language [C++] among others.

Tips for Better Searching:

• Keep it Simple
• For example, instead of [money savings tips for gasoline], start with [gas saving tips] and you’ll get a better range of results.
• Search for how it will be written.
• For example, instead of asking search engines [What does SWOT analysis mean?], try [SWOT analysis is], because that is probably what the right page will say.
• Use as few words as possible.
• You’ll see that a search for [weather Manila] will give better results than [what is the weather in Metro Manila].
• In general, it is recommended that you start your search with one or two words first, and then refine the results later by adding more words. This is a good way to ensure that you’re not missing other important pages that could help you with your research
• Choose words the best describe what you’re looking for.
• Do you want a new message tone for your mobile phone? Then don’t just search for [message tones], but also try more descriptive and accurate terms such as [ringtones], [SMS tones] or [SMS alerts].

Search Engine Tips and Tricks:

• Use “double quotes” if you want exact matches for a word sequence
• Ex., “We could have had it all”; works best for song lyrics, famous quotes, well-known speeches, popular poems and others
• Use [site:] to search a term within a website
• Ex., [Ondoy site:www.youtube.com]; this will search for all Ondoy videos inside YouTube
• Exclude topics by using the hyphen symbol [–]
• Ex., [jaguar –cars]; this will omit most if not all pages about the Jaguar automobile brand
• Use [OR] to get results for a combination of keywords
• Ex., [Christmas Bazaars OR Tiangge]; this will give you results for both [Christmas Bazaars] and [Christmas Tiangge]
• Use the asterisk symbol [*] as a wildcard
• Ex., [Senator * speech on RH Bill]; if you want to know the list of senators who gave speeches about the RH Bill
• Use the tilde symbol [~] to get synonyms.
• Ex., [algebra ~tips]; this will give you results for algebra tips, algebra guide, algebra help and many others

Beyond Search:
These functions current work specifically in Google and Yahoo! Try typing the terms inside the brackets and see what you’ll get

• Calculator: [23 * 24]
• Unit Converter: [2 meters to feet]
• Forex: [1 USD to PHP]
• World Time: [London time]
• Dictionary: [define: bangus]