Search Engine Basics   «Prev 

Searching and Finding on the Internet

There are no rules when it comes to finding information on the Web. I say "find" deliberately to remind you that's your goal. Not just searching for it, but actually finding the information you are looking for.
In the end, that is what counts, not how you do it.
So, you may need to use several search engines, not just your favorite; you may need to change the words in your search query and search again; you may even need to begin looking in a directory category, just to uncover a lead or to discover a particular term or jargon that will turn up the references that you've really been looking for.
Some information is going to be easy to find, and some will not be. You have got to be persistent, but be flexible and be creative.

Search engine optimization is often about making small modifications to parts of your website. When viewed individually, these changes might seem like incremental improvements, but when combined with other optimizations, they could have a noticeable impact on your site's user experience and performance in organic search results. You are likely already familiar with many of the topics in this guide, because they're essential ingredients for any web page, but you may not be making the most out of them.
Even though this guide's title contains the words "search engine", we'd like to say that you should base your optimization decisions first and foremost on what's best for the visitors of your site. They are the main consumers of your content and are using search engines to find your work. Focusing too hard on specific tweaks to gain ranking in the organic results of search engines may not deliver the desired results. Search engine optimization is about putting your site's best foot forward when it comes to visibility in search engines, but your ultimate consumers are your users, not search engines.
Your site may be smaller or larger than our example site and offer vastly different content, but the optimization topics we discuss below should apply to sites of all sizes and types. We hope our guide gives you some fresh ideas on how to improve your website, and we'd love to hear your questions, feedback, and success stories in the Google Webmaster Help Forum.