There's a reason the youngsters seem to be able to get better, quicker results from Google, and it's not because Google is ageist.
Instead, it's because they have a better understanding of what Google requires in terms of search queries in order to give you the best results.
So what's the best way to Google something?
1. The first thing to check is which version of Google you're using - sometimes including all those American results can just get in the way, especially if it's a place you're looking for.
The normal, main site for Google is www.Google.com, which is used for the United States and the rest of the world, but you might just find a whole lot more relevance if you use South Africa's version: www.Google.co.za
2. Next is to understand which words are wasted on Google.
These include all those really common words, like THE, AND, A, IN, etc.
These words appear on almost all websites based in English, and as a result cannot be used to narrow down your search. Therefore, unless you're searching for a whole sentence (which we'll look at next), you may as well leave these words out of your search.
3. Use quotation marks.
Let's say for example you're searching for Purple People Eaters. You can type Purple People Eaters into Google just like that, and you might get lucky (Google is very good at figuring out what it thinks you're searching for, but it's not infallible), but more than likely you'll end up with a lot of unrelated searches - some about people, some about the colour purple and perhaps even a few restaurant listings.
The reason for this is that Google indexes each word separately. Therefore, if you put your search query in quotation marks, like this: "Purple People Eaters", you can be sure that Google will search for your query as a whole, without breaking it down word for word. Suddenly the results become a lot more relevant….
4. Take note of the ads.
Companies can pay Google to display their advertisements, which appear very similar to organic search results, right at the top of the page when a certain keyword is searched for. These ads are displayed at the very top of the search results as well as along the right-hand column, with a yellow "Ad" icon alongside of it. What is important to remember is that just because these results are prominent does not mean they are the most relevant - remember - someone paid for it to be there.
Did you find these tips useful? What other tips would you like to read about? Let us know at comments@StaffTraining.co.za
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