Each and every one of us knows what it’s like to perform an online search and find results that are not even close to what we were looking for. This can be quite aggravating. Fortunately, there are many simple steps you can take that can ensure more relevant search results.
Keep it simple
Simplicity is essential when it comes to online searches. It’s typically in your best interest to use only a few words or phrases if the search is not too complicated. If you’re looking for a type of business in your area, you can type in that business type along with the name of your town or your zip code. That should garner results that are both accurate and relevant to you.
Learn about Boolean
Whether you know it or not, you are most likely familiar with Boolean searches. This simply refers to using terms like “and,” “not” and “or” in your online searches. This is a good thing to do when you are more informed about what you’re searching for and know which terms you would like to include or exclude.
You can also have the same effect by using simple pluses and minuses in your searches. If you wish to include a term in your query simply put a “ ” right before it in the search box. If you want to guarantee that a certain term does not pop up in your results, place a “-“ before that word or phrase.
Be precise
Preciseness can instantly eliminate a great deal of the irrelevant and confusing search results. If the search terms you use are too broad, you are often left with thousands of results that have nothing to do with what you’re looking for.
Quotation marks are often the international search engine symbol to search for an exact phrase. If you are looking for something specific, using quotation marks can help guarantee that your results are more relevant.
These three strategies can make quite the difference when it comes to relevance of search results. Applying them can almost guarantee that you will spend much less time sifting through results you don’t want.
If you’d like even more tips on performing online searches, take a look at this article.
