Tired of getting millions of results for your searches?

Here's how to become a power searcher today!

Power Searching
© Charlie Page

Information on the Internet is a two edged sword. On the one hand, it's fantastic to be able to sit at your desk [regardless of attire] ;) and find things that used to require a trip to the library, or, if you were lucky, a phone call to the research department. Want to know how much money Martha Stewart makes? No problem. Need a dictionary or encyclopedia and want the most current information for free? The Web's got that too.

On the other hand it's *very* easy to get bogged down looking at site after site and never find what you really wanted. There's just SO MUCH out there that you could spend literally weeks of wasted time.

We've probably all had the experience of using our favorite search engine, typing in what we thought were the right keywords, and getting several *million* hits. Who has time for that? Not me and I'll bet not you.

So how DO you find exactly what you're looking for ... fast... so that you can get on with things that are more productive? Try these three steps to speed up your Internet searching and get back to your life.

1. Use the right tool to get the right result. If you are shopping, a directory like Yahoo might be the way to go since it will categorize the results it shows you. Directories are especially good for comparison-shopping since they often display similar items 'side by side'.

If you are looking for everything you can find on a subject, or doing academic type research, a search engine like Google will be better. A search engine will deliver many more "hits" (web pages that might contain what you want) but the results won't be grouped.

In today's Internet world search engines and directories have learned to finally get along. Yahoo's results are powered by Google even though the exact same search on both will yield different, and different looking, results.

2. Use some advanced search techniques. No need to become a programmer, but learning some advanced techniques will help. For example, combine words into phrases with quotation marks. If you type Martha Stewart, you will get all information on Martha AND Stewart. If you type "Martha Stewart", you will get information on just the person Martha Stewart.

3. Save your search results. Probably the least used trick in the book, this one will save you a ton of time. Far too many of us re-invent the wheel every time we search by retyping our search request over and over. Do this. When you find a set of results that you like, bookmark them. That way, you can go back later to compare prices or dig a little deeper into the subject you are researching.

For me time is a four-letter word. I know in my head that I have the same 24 hours that everyone has. But my time seems to evaporate before my very eyes while I'm working. I'm certainly not willing to waste any of it searching in vain for what I need to know.

Learning a little more about how search engines work, and a few advanced search techniques as well, may use up a half hour today but it will save you countless hours over the course of a year. Put these three tips to work today and see how much time you can save. After all, you do have better things to do. ;)

-----------------------------------

Charlie Page is a copywriter who owns the Directory of Ezines and the Directory of Marketing. If you want to sell more online, visit Charlie today at http://www.directoryofmarketing.com