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Your Guide to Googling

Google has been helping us find answers for 25 years. But are you getting the most out of your online searches?

September 4, 2023
By Karen Grimaldos

As You Read, Think About: Why is it important to know how to identify good online search results?

How do you make slime? Where’s the world’s largest lake? If you’re like most people, you use Google to get answers to questions like these. 

Google turns 25 this year, and there’s a lot to celebrate. It’s by far the most popular search engine in the world, and the company that owns Google is worth more than $1 trillion.

A Google search can give you instant results, but that doesn’t mean every website it lists is reliable. Many sites want to sell you something or get you to support a cause. Countless others contain incorrect or misleading information. Experts say you may need to dig deep to find the best search results.

How do you make slime? Where’s the world’s largest lake? If you’re like most people, you use Google to get answers to questions like these. 

Google turns 25 this year. And there’s a lot to celebrate. It’s by far the most popular search engine in the world. The company that owns Google is also worth more than $1 trillion.

A Google search can give you instant results. But that doesn’t mean every website it lists is reliable. Many sites want to sell you something or get you to support a cause. Countless others contain incorrect or misleading information. Experts say you may need to dig deep to find the best search results.

Looking for Answers

Before the internet became popular in the 1990s, getting information was much harder than it is today. One of the main ways to do research for school projects was to go to a library—and hope the books you needed hadn’t already been checked out.

Then, in the mid-1990s, the first major online search engines were created. For the first time, users could type in a search term and quickly get a list of relevant links.

Searching online got even easier after Google came along in 1998. It provided faster and more relevant results than any other search engine. By 2006, it had become so popular that Merriam-Webster added “google” as a verb to its dictionary. 

The internet became popular in the 1990s. Before then, getting information was much harder than it is today. One of the main ways to do research for school projects was to go to a library. Then you had to hope the books you needed hadn’t been checked out. 

Then, in the mid-1990s, the first major online search engines were created. For the first time, users could type in a search term and quickly get a list of relevant links.

Searching online got even easier after Google came along in 1998. It provided faster and more relevant results than other search engines. By 2006, Google had become very popular. That year, Merriam-Webster added “google” as a verb to its dictionary. 

Kim Kulish/Corbis via Getty Images

Larry Page (left) and Sergey Brin started Google in a garage in Menlo Park, California.

Be a Detective

Today, Google receives billions of search requests each day. And if you and a friend search the same term from different places, your results probably won’t be the same. That’s because Google’s results are based on your search history, location, and other factors. So how can you make sure that you’re finding the most reliable information?

“Online searching is very much like detective work,” says media expert Belinha De Abreu. “You have to follow the trail.” 

Today, Google receives billions of search requests each day. And if you and a friend search the same term from different places, your results probably won’t be the same. That’s because Google’s results are based on many factors. These include your search history and location. So how can you make sure that you’re finding the most reliable information?

“Online searching is very much like detective work,” says media expert Belinha De Abreu. “You have to follow the trail.” 

Search Like a Pro

It’s possible for millions of websites to pop up in your search results. Here are some tips for finding the best sources. When in doubt, get help from a teacher or parent.

Search Like a Pro

It’s possible for millions of websites to pop up in your search results. Here are some tips for finding the best sources. When in doubt, get help from a teacher or parent.

1. Based on the article, why can two people use the same search terms but get different results?

2. What is the section “Looking for Answers” mainly about?

3. What are two facts you can learn from the sidebar, “Search Like a Pro”?

1. Based on the article, why can two people use the same search terms but get different results?

2. What is the section “Looking for Answers” mainly about?

3. What are two facts you can learn from the sidebar, “Search Like a Pro”?

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