Online Research: Keywords & Filters

A search engine reads the words you type and tries to match them to billions of pages. Strong keywords act like a clear address — they tell the engine exactly which neighborhood to look in. Weak keywords are like saying "somewhere in the city": you will get an answer, but it probably will not be the one you want.

What Makes a Keyword Effective?

1. Be specific — name the topic clearly instead of using one general word.
2. Use 2 to 5 strong words — drop small words like "a", "the", and "of".
3. Add a modifier — a year, place, file type, or category that narrows the topic.
4. Use quotes for exact phrases — "water cycle diagram" stays together.

Filters: Tell Results What You Really Want

After you search, filters trim the pile of results down to the kind you need. Most search engines and websites offer the same filter family. Learn the names once and you can use them everywhere.

• Date range — only show pages from the last year, month, or 24 hours.
• File type — limit results to PDFs, images, videos, or news articles.
• Site or domain — search inside one site only (site:nasa.gov).
• Language and region — match the language and country you need.
• Reading level — a few sites, like kids' encyclopedias, let you pick an easier reading level.

A Simple Research Plan

1. Write your real question in one sentence.
2. Underline the 2 to 4 most important words — those are your keywords.
3. Decide which filter would help (date? site? file type?).
4. Search, scan three results, then refine the keywords if needed.