How Search Works

1. How Search Works An Introduction

2. What Does Google Do When You Search? Search the index:When you click the Google Search button, Google races through its billions of web pages to find every page that contains the word or phrase or group of words you've used. Evaluate each site's reputation: Google looks at how often other websites link to these pages to determine how popular or useful each one is. Rank the web pages:Having scrutinized the web pages in terms of their relevance to your search words, Google presents your results, with what we believe are the most useful pages at the top. Analyze the web pages for relevance:Google screens web pages in the index to see which ones are most likely to have what you're looking for.

3. Understanding Search Finding the Right Keywords to Use

4. What Matters In My Search Query? Think of a topic or question you would like to search for. Pick three or four keywords to use in your search query. What happens if you reorder them? Add capitalization or punctuation? What if you take out a word?

5. What Matters In My Search Query?

6. Keyword Search How do you come up with the right words to search for? Can you remember a time when you had trouble finding what you were looking for? What makes certain searches hard?

7. Tips For Better Searches 1 Keep it simple. Describe what you want in as few terms as possible. 2 Think of how the page you want will be written. Use words that are likely to appear on the page. 3 Use descriptive, specific words. Avoid general or common words.

8. Think Before You Search What am I looking for? What do I want? What am I trying to find? What am I trying to find out? What keywords could I use in my search query? How would I talk about this? How would someone else talk about this? How can I describe this better? Which of these keywords are common or general words? Which would be more specific? Are there better words I could use? What kind of results am I looking for? Do I want a definition, a database, a list, a map, an image, a video, or something else?

9. Give It A Try! Pick a topic you want to find out about and brainstorm keywords to use in your search query. Remember: Keep it simple. Use descriptive words. Think of how the page you want will be written. And most importantly: Think before you search!

10. Entering a Search Do You Feel Lucky?

11. Homepage

12. Say What You Want A "query" is the word or phrase you search for in Google. Enter your query here Click this button or hit "enter" What happened?

13. Another Search Option Try clicking "I'm Feeling Lucky." What happened?

14. Different Search Tools Have you used these?

15. Advanced Search Visit the Advanced Search page. Enter a search using several of the search options offered there. What do you notice?

16. Language Tools Visit the Language Tools page and see what the different sections of the page do. Try the Translate Search section. Visit Google in another country. Where did you go? 

17. Reading Your Results Search Engine Results Page

18. The Search Engine Results Page Search bar Sponsored links (ads) Left panel Organic (natural) search results

19. Reading Individual Search Results

20. Give It a Try! If you had a website, what would a search engine show about your site? Write a fictional search result, complete with title, snippet, web address, and similar links.

21. Defining Credibility An Introduction

22. Credibility How do you know something is true? 

23. It Can Be How You Look At Things... Same search, different answers: • Site #1: Average of 382,500 km • Site #2: Average of 384,403 km • Site #3: Between 225,622 and 252,088 miles • Site #4: Average of 238,857 miles Why do you think these are different?

24. Tips: What To Think About How much do I care for a precise, quality answer? How much should I save up to buy that new phone?     What do I need to know for my report on the Civil War?     I want some recipe for homemade kettle corn? 1 2 What do I know about the author or organization      providing this information? 3 Why was this page created?     To inform me     To persuade me     To sell me something     To undermine someone or something     For another reason

25. Tips: What To Do Know who wrote and published the page     Find "About" page      Check web address     Visit site's homepage     Google the author/organization     Use link:     Ask: Is this the right person to give me good information? 1 Check your facts     Check multiple sources      Identify the type of page     Look for bibliography     Check the date     Confirm in snopes.com     Spot known errors     Think: Use your common sense!  2 l

26. Give It a Try!  Use the tips you have learned and decide which of the websites are true and which are hoaxes: http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/ http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/ http://www.dhmo.org/ http://www.golfcross.com/

27. Uncover the Truth Practice Differentiating Information from Disinformation

28. Credibility Credibility is often harder to determine than simply identifying a hoax site. Did NASA fake the moon landing? Try this search:

29. Testing the Lunar Landing Hoax Follow the first link: http://www.ufos-aliens.co.uk/cosmicapollo.html Check it out. Do you find this site credible? 

30. Give It a Try! Brainstorm and select a commonly debated potential fact. Do you believe it, or not? Do the research to decide.... Remember to ask: Who is the author? What is the page's purpose? What are opposing viewpoints? And most importantly: What do your instincts tell you?