Web Search Strategies
By Richard I. Garber 

Research on the World Wide Web is one good tool for finding answers.  However, there are good and bad ways to do research.  The good ways involve having both a whole box of tools (http://lii.org/search/file/searchtools) and several strategies in mind. 

NINE WEB SEARCH STRATEGIES FOR ALL OCCASIONS

NAME	
TYPE OF
SEARCH TOOL(S)	
DESCRIPTION	

Guess and Go	
Web Browser	
Guess the URL. Who needs tools? Real men don=t ask directions! (Homer Simpson uses this strategy).	

One Shot (in the Dark)	
Search Engine	
One concept, one word, one try, “I feel lucky today!” 
This sometimes works for distinctive words like Guadalcanal or Manzanar.	

Bingo!	
Search Engine	
Cover one concept with a phrase in any way you can - rows, columns, diagonals. Who? What? When? Where? Why?   Yell BINGO when you hit paydirt!	

Everything But the Kitchen Sink	
Search Engine	
For multiple concepts, use one long phrase to cover everything.
Do the Boolean boogie, or use the Advanced Search screen.	

Take A Big Bite	
Search Engine	
Like Everything But The Kitchen Sink strategy, but done in steps -
two or more concepts, one long phrase.
Put in a phrase, look at search results, decide how to narrow further.
Then add more terms to focus down to the desired topic. 	

Citation Pearl Growing	
Search Engine,
PubMed	
Widen out results of a previous search
as in Oliver’s APlease, sir, I want some more@  
Use ASimilar pages@ on Google, AMore@ in Teoma or AllTheWeb
or show Related Articles in PubMed     	

Getting A Little Help from Your Friends	
Web Directory
(LII, IPL, Yahoo, ODP, or in Google)	
Use subject directories to get started.
Begin from broad categories, search or browse
and narrow down till you find your topic 

Ask A Guru	
Search Engine,
Web Directory	
Search for professional associations, consultants,	
trade groups, Usenet newsgroups, mailing lists,
and e-mail someone who should know.	

No Stone Unturned	
Search Engine,
Web Directory,
Databases (start with your public library, then use universities)	
All of the above strategies, and much more. Try everything you can think of that time and money will permit. The biggest search problem of your life can be a career change, starting a new business, or writing a graduate thesis. 	

These nine strategies were updated from the six described by Karen M. Drabenstott in AWeb Search Strategy Development@, Online, July/Aug 2001, Vol. 25, No. 4, pages 18 to 27.