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Business Search Smart Skills

Target the Topic: Before you randomly jump to a search engine and start typing in a few words, you must stop and think. Defining the type of information you need is the most important starting point. Are you looking for a statistic to back-up a viewpoint or the latest opinions on a topic?

Next, think of all the key phrases for your topic. Articles on the effect of the Internet in the advertising business will include keywords such as: Internet, net, web, website, e-commerce and advertising industry, ad business, media business, etc. When entering your key word phrases into a search engine use quotation marks to find that exact phrase, e.g., "media business".

Where are you going?: The destination to begin your search is as important as zeroing in on your search topic. The Internet has 3 key types of destinations that every search smart business needs to know:

Search Engines: One of the most popular search destinations is the use of search engines such as Google. The biggest mistake is to stop at one search engine and say that the information you are looking for does not exist. All search engines only cover a fraction of the Internet, so it is important to use several in your search. For a list of search engines, visit the About site for Web Searching.

Subject Directories: Directories are the lists of topics and information assembled by humans-not computers. Human editors like us guides on About, provide the filtering of information and higher quality than a computer-assisted search.

Specific Databases: Much of the Internet is not available by directories or search engines and are what has been called the "Invisible Internet". Accessing this part of the Net is often done by searching databases on specific sites such as Newsville, an online database of over 34,000 UseNet news groups.

Cast your net: For large business search projects, like business planning or market research begin with a broad category search. Visit directories on general related topics to gain an understanding of the jargon used and organizational data structure.

Take the .com Out of dotcom: The domain name ending in .com signifies a commercial website. Commercial websites can be biased and of poor information quality. To get unbiased views and a better range of quality, check out sites that end in .gov (government), or .edu (education).

Evaluate your find: A critical, overlooked aspect of net searching is the evaluation. You may be relieved to have found the data you need; but is it accurate and timely? This step is vital for business making decisions. Review the author's credentials, references of key facts, the date the information was produced and if the intent of the site for sales or to inform.

These 5 essential net search techniques will get you started on finding and using better information to run your small business. Remember the skill of the new society is the ability to locate the information and turn it into actionable intelligence. Make your business search smarter.