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March 27, 2006

Google Search: Choosing the Right Keywords

Google is possibly the most forgiving search engine ever created. You can type just about anything into it and get good results. Sometimes you can even get away with sloppy spelling — Google often catches it and suggests the correct spelling.

The golden rule in Internet searching is that more keywords deliver fewer results. So pile them on to narrow your search. With that technique, however, you run the risk of having conflicting keywords, creating a mixed bag of search results. Ideally, you want to concisely convey to Google what you need. Two is the golden number of keywords to use in Google searches.

On the other end of the spectrum, many people get good results by typing entire sentences in the keyword box. Google always eliminates certain little words such as what and why, which might seem to devalue questions but doesn’t in practice.

Beware of words that have more than one meaning, especially if you search for one keyword at a time.

For power searching, in which the goal is not more results but fewer, better results, use the Advanced Search pages or the search operators

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