How to Search Like a Pro
Thanks to data tracking, search engines are becoming increasingly good at anticipating what users are trying to find. Depending on what they’re searching for, they’ll often show what a user is most likely to click on, which can be helpful or dangerous. That’s why being search-savvy is an important skill for any internet user to have.
With so much information on hand, efficiency is key. To this end, we surveyed 1,068 Americans to learn how adept they are at using search engines; what some of their common search habits are; which search techniques are most popular among different demographics; and how much they trust their search results.
Key Findings
- Sixty-six percent of people were familiar with using quotation marks to refine searches, but only 18% were familiar with using double periods.
- SEO professionals were almost twice as likely to pass our advanced search methods quiz.
- Forty-one percent of searchers reported clicking a result based on the title, compared to only 19% who click based on the website name.
Knowledge of Advanced Searching
One of the ways we gauged participants’ search knowledge was by quizzing them on the meaning of different advanced search methods. Sixty-six percent of them knew that using quotation marks around a phrase would only return search results including that exact phrase. Still, only 18% knew that using multiple periods would return results within a range of numbers (for example, a time span).
We also filtered results by how much time respondents spent online. Not surprisingly, less time spent online equated with a lower quiz score, indicating a lower level of search knowledge. On average, baby boomers spent the least time online and had the lowest scores (30%). The scores of Gen Xers and millennials were very similar, though — 39% and 40%, respectively.
It seems that advanced search techniques were something of a mystery to most of the people we surveyed. Those who considered their computer skills extensive scored an average of 40% on our quiz; those who reported high confidence in their search ability scored even lower at 39%. Results were similarly underwhelming for millennials as a whole, despite this generation growing up in the age of digital technology.
Relevant Reading: The Ultimate Guide to Google Search Operators and Google Search Commands
The Impact of Different Search Methods
Next, we tasked everyone with specific internet searches to see their methods. When asked to search for educational toddler toys, 21% simply searched the phrase educational toddler toys, with no quotation marks. Had they used quotation marks around the word “educational,” their results would only have included those with that particular word, making them more specific.
In a search for entertaining videos with dogs wearing cute clothes, there are many options for implementing advanced search techniques. However, most of our users neglected to use any of those methods. Instead, they relied on the algorithm to figure out if the searcher wanted cute dogs vs. cute clothing or dog clothing vs. videos about clothing.
Similarly, when searching for cute dog clothing to purchase, 15% searched only the phrase, cute dog clothing, with no symbols, punctuation, or mention of the intent to purchase. To narrow down their results, they should have included a phrase such as where to buy. On the other hand, they could have found a broader range of results by including synonyms for the word cute by adding a tilde in front of it (~cute).