Phrases Some concepts rely on words appearing in a specific order. Searching by phrase by using quotation marks is one way to specify order. Also, search engines won't search for words that are too small, e.g. to, the, etc. Using phrases will sometimes help with that. Truncation symbols allow you to search for both the singular and plural forms of words simultaneously.
Spelling is very important as search engines are simply keyword indexes.
What that means is that if you enter color', the search engine will typically not list web sites that use the alternate spelling of colour'. Limits Search engines often offer options to limit or refine your search. Learn about your options. Search engines are not all alike. Take a few minutes and read the help screens.