The average web user conducts at least two searches online during each session they use the internet. It is a surprise however that most web users will complain that they never really get what they are looking for when searching. Many will tell you that it takes them forever to find what they need or that they have to visit twenty websites to get to the site they initially wanted to find. These occurrences do not happen because the internet is lacking proper information. They happen because users do not know how to conduct effective searches online. If you want to conduct an effective search online, you need to follow a few general rules. The more practice you put in, the faster you will see your results pour in. After using these rules for a while, you will be able to find anything you want on the web in less than half the time you once did. One of the easiest tips to follow is one that deals with exact wording. If you are looking for a specific person or item on the web, then you will want to use exact wording. To do this, you will need to use quotation marks with your words. If you are looking for information on John Doe, you would type “John Doe” into the search box. By using quotations in this manner, your search engine will only return sites that list the complete name as you typed it. If you neglect to use the quotations however, you may get results with only the first name in them. This tip can really save you time and works for topics as well as names. Some of the information on the web may be full of spelling errors. That is why it is sometimes necessary to try alternate spellings of words when conducting a search. This is especially true if you are searching for a name that may be spelled in different ways (ex. Shawn, Sean, Shaun). Try one of the spellings and if it does not yield what you need, try another. Many people give up after the first failed attempt, but trying other spellings is worth the extra time if you really need the information. Misspellings occur with words that are not names as well. Therefore, you may need to try alternate spellings of simple words to get what you need as well. Using synonyms of the words you are searching for is also a great idea. For example, if you are looking for articles on dogs, you may also want to search for canines or pets. This will help you get a broader array of information on the subject you need. Some articles may refer to the animals as dogs, but others might always call them canines, so it is helpful to include both in your search. You may also want to do separate searches for each synonym to get more results. This is great for slang words as well. If there are more than one acceptable word for something you are searching for, by all means, use everything you can to get the most information possible. Similar to synonym use, to get good results you might also have to use related words in your search. For instance, if you are searching for vases, you might need to include the word “flower” in your search. This will likely target a few sites that don’t have vases, but most of the results will be appropriate for what you need. The more specific you can be with your search, the faster you will get where you want to go. Try to be as specific as you possibly can. If you want to know what temperature it is in London, England, don’t do a search for “weather” or “weather in Europe”. Instead type in “what is the temperature in London, England?” to get the best and fastest answer to your question. If you can be specific, you will weed out all of the results that don’t offer what you need. This will make your search time much more pleasant because you won’t have to trek through pages of unneeded information to get to the real results. Use these tips by themselves or together to make an effective search online.