Using search engines

Search engines are special websites that help you find all manner of information online.

Start using search engines

Search engines help you find what you’re looking for on the internet:

there are a number of search engines that perform in a similar way, including Google, Microsoft Bing or Yahoo!
any search engine can be used on any browser or brand of device
to start a search, open your device's web browser and open your preferred search engine's web page. Type what you want to know more about into the Search box on the search engine's web page, and press the Enter key
while most search engines are pretty intuitive, if you want to search for a specific phrase, type it inside quotation marks – for example "how to fix a garden hose" – otherwise the search results will return for the individual words randomly
the results of your search will be presented as a list. There might be some advertisements, or sponsored links at the top of the list, before the real search results appear
if you make a spelling mistake, the search engine will still try to find what you're after.

If you already know or have saved the web address you want to visit, you won't need to use a search engine:

open your preferred web browser
click once inside the long box at the top of the web page, known as the address bar
the existing web address will be highlighted in blue, meaning you can delete it or type straight over it
type in the website address – known as the URL, short for Uniform Resource Locator – into the address bar, for example www.abc.net.au
press the Enter key on your keyboard.

All web browsers allow you to save a short cut to your favourite web addresses so you can visit them again later without having to type in the URL:

depending on what browser you use, this will be known as a Bookmark or Favourite – they both do the same thing
visit a website you want to bookmark
on most browsers, look for the small, empty star icon to the right of the URL inside the address bar, and click it
the star will become solid, and you'll be asked where to save your bookmark
choose where you'd like to be able to find this shortcut in future
next time you want to visit your favourite website, you'll be able to find its shortcut in your list of bookmarks.

Many websites have their own search feature to help you find information within their site:

with a website page open on your browser, look for a box with a magnifying glass icon near the top of the web page
click inside the box and type in what you are looking for
press the Enter key on your keyboard, or click on the magnifying glass icon to start the search
the search will only be conducted within that website
it is usually stricter on spelling than a search engine would be.

Sometimes you may want to save official forms, documents, or images from the internet. This is called downloading:

most documents, images and other media are copyright protected. It is illegal to use them without permission of the website owner
many documents are in Portable Document Format, or PDF. Most browsers will display PDFs in a browser window, but you can also download the Adobe Reader software free of charge from Adobe if you prefer
to download, click the right button of your mouse on the item to bring up the right-click menu, and choose Save as or Save image, depending on what you are downloading
be very cautious about downloading anything from untrusted websites as downloads could contain unwanted software that can be used to damage your computer or try to steal your personal information. Always scan any downloads with anti-virus software before opening – we have courses on Be Connected showing you how to find and use anti-virus software.