If you are in search of information on the Internet, you will almost definitely be making use of a search engine. Search engines have been in use since 1993 as a way to do quick online research. Today, we rely on search engines for everything from news to recipes and shopping.

Search engines function using carefully designed search algorithms, which differ from site to site. The searcher inputs the information he wants to search, such as “home run records.” The search engine will generate a large list of results, called “hits,” based on the algorithm’s ability to find those search terms on web pages that are available in the Internet. From the list of hits, the searcher can navigate to the information he needs.

The information being searched for is called the “key words,” and the search itself is called a “query.” When making a query from a search engine, the selection of key words can be important. More specific key words yield a more specific response. For example, “driving laws New York” will provide a richer hit list than “current laws about driving in New York.”

With most search engines, there are ways to group or filter key words to narrow the hit list. Putting key words inside quotation marks will search for all of those words in that precise order, rather than searching for each word individually. Putting OR between two words will find hits that contain one or the other key words, but need online games strategie not contain both. It is useful to look at the Help pages for the search engine you are using, before you send a query, to see what tips and tricks are at your disposal.

There are several search engine options readily available, all of them free. Here are a few options.