Searching the internet properly

In short: Good search terms get you to your goal faster. Few, precise words instead of whole sentences, and check the results critically.

In more detail: Search engines such as Google, Bing or DuckDuckGo search the web. The first results are often ads (marked “Ad”). Check who runs the page and how current it is.

In Depth

• Search precisely: Quotation marks search the exact phrase: "printer driver error".
• Exclude: A minus before a word excludes it: jaguar -car.
• Search one site: site:wikipedia.org moon.
• Images, news, maps: Tabs under the search box.
• Check sources: Imprint, date, compare several sources.
• Caution: Ads sometimes look like results. For software downloads go directly to the maker’s site.

See also: Browsing the internet for beginners, Recognising phishing and scams