Successful Search Strategies

Making a search strategy is the best way to improve your chances of finding what you are looking for on the Internet after just one attempt. The best approach for searching any information resource is to develop a variety of concepts or keywords search terms that truly define your topic. For example, what if you are trying to obtain information about the "Slip and Slide", an outdoor toy popular in the '60s and '70s. Here are some keywords that we think accurately represent the product: toy, childhood toy, water, play, outdoor. It's also a good idea to use synonyms for a keyword and all forms of spellings.

Search engines are becoming more and more sophisticated and may be capable of finding research based on a query written as a sentence or as if you are asking a question. That is the selling point behind the Ask Jeeves.com search engine. Another good trick is to put your question in quotation marks. You are more likely to bring up better hits.

Patient and thorough seekers often look at many information resources before turning to Internet search engines. They may look at magazine indexes, full-text databases, or card catalogs. When you start searching on the Internet, start with a directory such as Yahoo!, which indexes websites by topic. Search engines such as Google.com are also excellent resources so long as you use the right strategy. Be sure to start with a specific keyword and broaden your search strategy, if you get too few sources. If a search returns too many sites, look over the first half dozen for clues on how to improve your search strategy. If you still can't find what you are looking for, blogs may be a good alternative resource.

For example, how would you obtain information on the history of a favorite toy from the 1960sthe Slip and Slide? You could search for it on the Internet using search engines such as Dogpile.com, Google.com, and Yahoo.com. And you may find enough information about the basics, but you're not satisfied. You want more details about the toy's origins, litigation case history, cultural impact, and places to obtain one in the present day.

Researching via blogs may be a good step. So where do you look first?

Unlike websites, few consistently reliable blog directories are available, and it takes time and patience to work your way through them.