… Googling?

Published June 8, 2011

This describes the process of using the search engine Google to find some information that you require. What most people do not understand is quite how sophisticated search engines are today, and this article may help you in locating information that would otherwise elude you.

First of all, if you want to get the maximum possible results, enter a single word in the search box and press Return. This will result in literally millions of ‘hits’ or pages which mention that word. Actually, this is emphatically NOT what you want. Your goal is to enter a search term that is wide enough to encompass everything you need, but specific enough to ensure that the most relevant results appear on the first two pages.

It depends on what you’re looking for, but let’s imagine first of all that you’re looking to buy a new washing machine, and you’re not sure which one you want. If you don’t subscribe to Which? magazine or something similar, you could probably use some guidance. Try searching for ‘Top 10 Automatic Washing Machines’ to start with. This will result in a number of pages (when I tried it, there were more than 82 MILLION results!) so you need to be a little more selective. If you look at the list of ‘hits’ you should be able to quickly evaluate which pages will be of interest. So as not to lose the list of search results, point with the mouse to the page you want to view and press the Right button. From the list choose ‘Open in New Tab’ – this will leave the original page in place for you to go back to.

This process will give you a number of choices to research further. Using pen and paper to record model numbers or make other notes still has its place, and I would recommend that you do so. Then, for each washing machine you want to review in more detail, Google the manufacturer, model name and the word ‘Review’ (e.g. Miele W261 review). This will not only give you a list of reviews (if any) but will also immediately give you some idea of the prices you are likely to pay.

When you decide specifically what you want, go to the manufacturer’s web site and see if you can download a brochure or, even better, an operators manual. This will allow you to see whether there are any peculiarities about operation or installation that you should know about. Finally once you know what you want to buy, again do a search for the maker and model number and you should find a long list of suppliers who will be only too happy to sell to you and at what prices.

Don’t worry about being wordy in your searches. You can, for instance, use plain English phrases which will often result in a much more focussed results list. For example, ‘dog friendly hotel in Wensleydale’ produced great results for me when I was looking for holiday ideas. Similarly, ‘watering systems for hanging baskets’ generated a list which was very relevant to my needs.

Don’t bother looking past page 2 of most search results. If you haven’t found what you want on the first two pages, the chances are that your search phrase is too vague or not properly spelt. Given that a search rarely takes more than a second, you are better off redefining your search than trying to scan any more results.

Google is particularly good at identifying problems that you may be having with your computer. For example, if you get an error message with or without a code number, try typing the first complete line into Google. You should rapidly find out what others have done when they got the same message.

The more familiar you become with Google, the more useful you will find it. Like every technology, the more you understand the less intimidating it becomes and you will be able to achieve more, so give it a go!