Even worse, there's not a lot of overlap in what the various engines do index. In other words, that needle you're searching for might be in any one of a number of haystacks. Meta search engines search several major Web indexes simultaneously. By using a meta search engine like Dogpile , Mamma , or Ask Jeeves , you cast a much wider net, and increase the likelyhood of quickly snaring an elusive page. Use rare search terms.
Search engines give greater weight to unusual words than common ones.
If your search query is for something common, think of less frequently used synonyms and use them in addition to common terms. Use Boolean logic when you're looking for an exact match, not when you're searching for a concept. As a rule of thumb, you're better off typing sentences into search engine forms. These days most engines can handle natural language, and may in fact give you much better results than if you override relevance ranking systems by using Boolean logic. For more on when to use Boolean, see Exploit Your Relatives , an article on using simplified Boolean operators to hone your search.