Reference number: CH000082

How to find information on the Internet?

Question:

How to find information on the Internet.

Answer:

Today, most information is found by utilizing search engines. A search engine is a software program that uses web robots to query millions of pages on the Internet and creates an index of those web pages. Users can then search that index quickly and easily to find the information they may be looking for.

When searching for information on the Internet it is a good idea to have a general understanding of the below methods of searching.

1. If you are searching for multiple common words such as 'computer' and 'help', it is a good idea to place quotes around the full search. For example, "computer help"
2. Many search engines will strip out common words, called stop words, when searches are performed. For example, instead of searching for "why does my computer not boot", it'd search for "computer boot."
3. Many search engines allow for additional syntax to help limit your search strings. For example, Google enables users to search for links to a particular page by typing "link:" at the beginning of the search query. For example, to see who is linked to Computer Hope you'd type "link:http://www.computerhope.com".
4.  Some search engines may not default to use booleans; therefore, you may need to use "and", "or", and/or "not" in your search.
5. Use the search engine's advanced features.
6. Finally, if you continue to not find what you are looking for, try a different search engine. 

Additional information:

• See document CH000721 for additional information about other things that can be done on the Internet.
• See our Internet tips section for additional search tips and other Internet related tips.
• A listing of search engines can be found on our network search engine section.
• Additional information about locating software or drivers for your computer can be found on document CH000644.