For Seniors: Search the Web Using Google
You can search for web pages that contain the information you need using a search engine such as Google. Search engines other than Google may produce different results, but they all work in a similar way.
You tell Google what to look for by typing a phrase or keyword, which Google then tries to find within its catalog of web pages. The result is a series of links to web pages Google thinks you might want to visit in order to find what you're looking for.
You can use the Internet Explorer (IE) search feature to perform your searches — simply type your search phrase in the Address bar. Change the search engine by clicking the arrow to the right of the magnifying glass icon and choosing another provider listed at the bottom, or click Add to add other search providers to the list.
Start your web browser and type www.google.com in the Address bar and press Enter.
The Google Home page appears.
Enter a search term in the text box and then click the Search button.
A list of search results appears.
Knowing how search engines work can save you time. For example, if you search for valentine birthday, you typically get sites that contain both words or either word. If you put a plus sign between these two keywords (valentine+birthday), you get only sites that contain both words.
Click a link to go to that web page.
If you don’t see the link that you need, click and drag the scroll bar to view more results.
If you didn't find what you need, click the Advanced Search link to perform a more precise search.
You'll find the Advanced Search link at the bottom of the results page. After you click it, the Advanced Search appears.
Use the Advanced Search tools to find what you want.
The options in the Find Web Pages That Have section let you narrow the way words or phrases are searched; for example, you can find matches for the exact wording you enter. In the But Don’t Show Pages That Have section, you can enter words that you want to exclude from your results. For example, you could search countertops and specify you don’t want results that involve laminate.
In the Need More Tools section, you can control how many results are shown on a page, what language to search for, and specific file types or domains to search. If you click the Date, Usage Rights, Region, and More link, you can set even more advanced search parameters. Enter the search parameters you want, then click Advanced Search.
Many search engines allow you to specify the media to search for. For example, you can search for maps, images, videos, or sound files related to your search term. In Google, for example, these options are listed across the top-left corner of the search engine screen. Enter your search term and then click the type of results you want to find.
