By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- Turn a question into a short list of useful keywords.
- Use quotation marks, a minus sign, site: and filetype: to narrow a search.
- Tell a sponsored result from an ordinary result and read a result's title, address and snippet.
- Change a search that gives too many, too few or the wrong results.
Almost every task you do on a computer, from fixing an error to finding a bus timetable, starts with a search. Two people can ask the same question and one finds the answer in ten seconds while the other scrolls for ten minutes. The difference is rarely luck. It is knowing how a search engine reads your words, and a few small tricks for steering it. This lesson teaches those tricks and how to read a results page without being fooled by adverts.
What a search engine actually does
A search engine does not look at the whole internet when you press Enter. That would be far too slow. Instead, it sends out programs that visit pages all the time and keep a giant index, like the index at the back of a book. When you type a search query, the engine looks in its own index, picks pages that seem to match and puts them in an order it has chosen. Two consequences matter. First, pages that are new, private or hidden behind a login may not be in the index. Second, the order is decided by the engine's rules, which include popularity, how well the words match and, for adverts, money.
- Step 1: You type a querywords in the search box
- Step 2: Engine checks its indexnot the live web
- Step 3: Matching pages picked
- Step 4: Results rankedsome are paid adverts
- Step 5: You choose a linkthe real page opens
Read this figure as text
A flow diagram showing a query being matched against an index and a ranked list of results coming back.
Five numbered steps. 1: You type words, called the query, into the search box. 2: The search engine looks in its own index, a stored list of pages it has already visited. 3: It picks pages that match your words. 4: It ranks them with its own rules, and some places are paid adverts. 5: You see a results page and choose a link to open the real page in the browser.
Choosing keywords
Write to a search engine the way you would write a very short note, not the way you would speak. Pick the important nouns and specific words and leave out polite filler such as please, can you or I want to know. Then add detail that separates your question from all the similar ones: the program name, the version, the country, the error message, the year.
| Vague query | Better query | Why it is better |
|---|---|---|
| how to attach a file to an email | States the task, not just the topic | |
| Ubuntu problem | Ubuntu 24.04 wifi not connecting after update | Names the version and the symptom |
| bus times | Nairobi bus route 46 timetable weekday | Adds place, route and day |
| laptop slow what do i do please | laptop slow startup Windows 11 fix | Drops filler, adds the system |
Search operators: steering the search
A search operator is a small symbol or word that tells the engine what to do with your words. Most major search engines understand the ones below, but behaviour varies a little, so always check that your results look right. Try each of them yourself in your browser's address bar or the search box.
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quotation marks | Looks for the exact words in that order | "disk space low" |
| Minus sign | Leaves out pages containing a word; put it directly before the word with no space | ubuntu install -windows |
site: | Limits results to one website or kind of address, with no space after the colon | password manager site:gov.uk |
filetype: | Finds a particular kind of file | budget template filetype:xlsx |
backup guide Keywordswhat you want"3-2-1 rule" Exact phrasewords kept together-advert Excludeleave this word outsite:example.orgOne websiteonly this siteRead this figure as text
An address-style breakdown of a search query into keyword, exact phrase, excluded word and site limit.
The query backup guide "3-2-1 rule" -advert site:example.org is split into four labelled parts. backup guide: the ordinary keywords. "3-2-1 rule": an exact phrase in quotation marks. -advert: a minus sign that leaves out pages with the word advert. site:example.org: limits results to the website example.org.
Reading a results page
Each result usually has three parts: a title (the page's own heading), the address (which tells you the site) and a short snippet (an extract the engine chose). Before you click, glance at the address, because it tells you who is behind the page. Some results at the top or bottom are sponsored results: companies pay to be shown there, and the page marks them with a label such as Sponsored or Ad. They can be useful, but they are not chosen because they are the best answer. Be especially careful with adverts for software downloads, bank help lines and support telephone numbers, because criminals buy adverts too.
- Marker 1: The query you typed
- Marker 2: Sponsored label: this is paid
- Marker 3: Site name: check who runs it
Read this figure as text
A simulated browser window showing a search results list with an advert at the top.
A simulated browser window with the address bar showing a search for how to back up files. Row 1 is labelled Sponsored and links to a company selling backup software. Row 2 is an ordinary result from help.example.org titled Back up your files, with a snippet. Row 3 is an ordinary result from news.example.com, a news article. Marker 1 points to the address bar holding the query, marker 2 to the Sponsored label on the first row, marker 3 to the site name of the second row, which is the part to check before clicking.
All results in this lab are fictional. For each one decide whether it is reliable, an advert or out of date, and see the reasons.
Loading lab…
When the results are wrong
| Problem | Try this |
|---|---|
| Too many results | Add a specific word, an exact phrase in quotation marks, or site: |
| Too few or none | Remove a word, use a more common word, check spelling, drop quotation marks |
| Wrong kind of result | Use the minus sign to remove the unwanted meaning |
| Out of date | Add the year or the version number, or use the search tools to choose a date range |
| Not sure of the word | Describe the thing in other words, or look for a picture result |
Common mistakes
✖ Instead of: Typing a whole polite sentence with filler words.
✔ Do this: Use two to six specific keywords such as the program, the version and the problem.
✖ Instead of: Clicking the first result without looking at the label or the address.
✔ Do this: Check for a Sponsored label and read the site name before you click.
✖ Instead of: Putting a space after site: or after the minus sign.
✔ Do this: Write them joined to the next word, such as
site:example.organd-windows.✖ Instead of: Giving up after one search.
✔ Do this: Change one thing at a time: fewer words, a different word, or an operator.
If something goes wrong
- I get no results, or the message says nothing matched.
- Check your spelling, remove quotation marks, drop one keyword and try a more common word. Very long exact phrases often match nothing.
- An operator seems to be ignored.
- Check there is no space after the colon or the minus sign, and try one operator at a time. Engines differ, so use the search tools on the page as another way to limit results.
- Results are in the wrong language or country.
- Add the country or language to the query, or change the language and region settings of the search engine.
- Search shows old advice that no longer works.
- Add the version or year to the query, and prefer the official documentation for your software.
Key terms
- search engine
- A search engine is a website that keeps a huge index of web pages and shows you the ones that best match the words you type.
- search query
- A search query is the words you type into a search engine to say what you want to find.
- search operator
- A search operator is a small symbol or word, such as quotation marks or a minus sign, that tells a search engine exactly how to treat your words.
- sponsored result
- A sponsored result is a search result that a company paid to have shown, usually marked with a label such as Sponsored or Ad.
Practise it for real
Reading is not the same as being able to do it. Complete these on your own computer, then tick only what you have actually done. These ticks are your own honest record: nothing checks them for you.
Narrow a search three ways
Open your browser and search for how to take a screenshot Ubuntu. Look at how many results there are. Then search again using an exact phrase in quotation marks, then again with site:ubuntu.com, then once more with a minus word, for example -windows. Notice how the list changes each time.
Find a document and spot the adverts
Without step-by-step help, find a free PDF guide about staying safe online published by a government or a library. Use at least two operators. Then take a screenshot or note down which results on your page were sponsored and which were ordinary.
Knowledge check
6 questions. You need 80% to pass. Mistakes here are part of learning, and you can retry as often as you like.
Summary
- A search engine searches its own index, not the live web.
- Short specific keywords beat long polite sentences.
- Quotation marks, a minus sign, site: and filetype: let you steer results.
- Adverts are labelled Sponsored or Ad and are paid for, not chosen as best.
- If a search fails, change one thing at a time and compare.
Checklist: can you do these?
Marking a lesson as read does not prove you can do it. Skills count as demonstrated when you pass the quiz (not yet) and complete the practical tasks (not yet).
Related lessons
References and further reading
Official sources for details that can change between versions.
- Google Search help: refine web searches (Google)
- DuckDuckGo help pages (DuckDuckGo)