These search engine tricks will help you easily find what you need.
Our search engines work on overdrive this time of year. From online shopping to dialing up those holiday recipes. Google is our automatic go-to, so maximize its potential!
Tech expert Sarah Kimmel shares how we can all search smarter with a few search engine tricks.
In the past, a simple Google search would give you the exact answer you were looking for in the first result. Now, with all the masses of information and the rise of AI, finding precise answers is more challenging. “It used to be when you did a Google search, basically the answer was right there,” Sarah said. “Now there’s so much there that it’s hard to get to exactly what you’re looking for.”
Be Careful With AI Responses
AI responses are generated by crawling the internet for information. “If it’s on the internet, it can be incorporated into this AI response,” Sarah explained. While this can be helpful, it’s really important to verify the sources.
“Everything you read on the internet is true, of course,” Sarah joked. “Don’t take that for exactly what it is when you’re looking at that AI response.” Checking URLs it is referencing for credibility. For sensitive topics like medical questions, you’ll want to dig deeper and verify the information from reliable sources, like WebMD.
It’s important to remember that AI can just get it wrong sometimes. “AI can lie to you,” Sarah emphasized. “It is really just crawling the internet and aggregating that information… and it is not really into the nuance of words.”
Skip the Sponsored Links
Sponsored links often appear at the top of search results, but they may not always be the best or most affordable options. “People can pay to be at the top of the search results, and those are those sponsored links,” Sarah explained.
She advised skipping these links to avoid potential scams and higher prices, especially when shopping for tickets or other high-demand items. “You don’t know if it’s a scammy website because they just had to pay to get there. So it could be fraudulent, it could be a real result… you just don’t know,” she said.
Crowdsourcing Information
Forums and social media platforms like Reddit can give you answers through crowdsourcing. They may not always be 100% accurate, but they offer a broad range of opinions and experiences. “A lot of times when I’m doing products, comparisons and things, I will look to Reddit and see what real people are saying about the product,” Sarah explained.
Using these sources in this way can become sort of a word of mouth recommendation. “You can pay to be at the top, but you can’t really pay everyone to say good things about your product,” Sarah emphasized.
Utilize Search Tabs
Many people overlook the various search tabs on Google, like images, shopping, and news. These tabs help refine your search and find specific types of information more easily. “If you’re looking for… ‘kids safe smartphones’ …you’ll have a shopping tab and it will really dig the internet and show you different price comparisons,” Sarah explained.
Find more tech advice from Sarah on Instagram, @familytech, or at familytechzone.com.
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