Google

Placement in Google’s search results
is not for sale, but Google does
sell ads on its results page. Ads on
Google, however, are a far cry from
the flashy, distracting ads you find
elsewhere. Google ads are small, discreet,
and usually relevant to your
search terms. Ads typically appear far
to the right of the results, but they can
appear above the results in a blue box.
In either case, these links are clearly
marked as Sponsored Links. All ads
on Google are text-only ads. There are
no pictures or (shudder) animated
graphics to distract you.
You may also notice additional information
above the search results. In
some cases, Google offers tips that it
thinks may help you with your search.
In some cases, Google may pass along
links to relevant news articles or stock
information when appropriate.
Searching for a geographical location
may turn up a link to Google Maps.
Each individual result consists of
several parts. Here’s a result from our
previous example:
Welcome to TheRaider.net
Interview with Max McCoy: The
author of the four latest Indiana
Jones novels. ... Indiana Jones film in
the making? Monday, August 1, 2005
(Indiana Jones 4) ...
www.theraider.net/ - 83k - Aug 2,
2005 - Cached - Similar pages
The page title (Welcome to The
Raider.net) provides a link to the page
in question while the preview text offers
some indication as to whether or
T HE S EARCH
Google saves a copy of
nearly every page it
indexes on its own
servers. If for some
reason you can’t
access a Web page, you
can usually load
Google’s cached
version. Search terms
are highlighted making
them easy to find.
not the page may be
useful. The preview
text always includes at least one or two
of the search terms and the words immediately
surrounding them. Beneath
the preview text is the page URL. While
this doesn’t link back to the page, it can
be useful in determining whether or
not a result is relevant. Next to the URL
is the size of the page and, occasionally,
the date on which Google last indexed
it. Usually, the date only appears on
items that Google indexed within the
last few days. Finally, the entry ends
with two links, one to a cached version
of the page and another to a link that
lists similar sites that could contain
more information.
The Cached link displays a saved
version of the page from Google’s
servers. Cached pages are especially
nice when trying to find pockets of
information on a larger Web page
(such as trying to find a particular
term in a large online glossary) because
each search term appears highlighted.
Furthermore, Google’s cache
serves as a nice backup if the real page
suddenly becomes unavailable or if
important information suddenly disappears
from the live site. An info box
appears above the cached version of a
Web site and includes the date the
page was last cached, a link to the current
page, and a link to a text-only
version of the page. Cached pages are
sometimes a day or two old and in
some cases even older. Frequently updated
sites and more popular sites
seem to be cached more often. Check
the date the page was cached in the
info box if you’re looking for the
most recent information.
As the name implies, the Similar
Pages link lists Web sites similar to
those in the search results. For instance,
TheRaider.net is an Indiana Jones fan
site, so clicking Similar Pages will list
other Indiana Jones fan sites.
In some instances, you may notice
indented results. For instance, when
we search for Disk Defragmenter
Stalls, the second result appeared indented
because it was from the same
Web site as the first result. The indented
Web site is the one Google determines
to be less relevant. If there
are additional entries from the same
site, you can view them by clicking
the More Results link that may appear
beneath the indented entry (as was
the case with this search).
Search Quirks
Now that we know how to view the
results, we can work on getting better,
more relevant results. Before we begin
offering tips, however, it’s a good idea
to take a closer look at the basic workings
of Google’s Web search.
Every search engine has its own
particular quirks. For instance, Google
automatically searches for Web sites
containing all the specified search
terms. If you search for John York ruined
49ers (which by the way returned
4,810 hits indicating the hostility
many fans feel toward the current
owner), Google will only return pages
that include all four terms. If you want
Google to return pages with any of the
above terms, use the word OR between
each term (in all caps).
Aside from operators such as OR,
Google is not case sensitive. That
means smart computing and SMART
COMPUTING return exactly the
same results. The order of the search
terms you use, however, can affect
your search results.
It’s worth remembering that
Google automatically excludes common
words such as “with” and
“how.” You’ll notice common words
Reference Series / Guide To Using Google 27