To be an effective searcher on the Internet, one needs to be familiar with a variety of these search tools and to develop effective search techniques. The two basic approaches to searching the Internet are subject directories and search engines.
Subject directories allow the searcher to find a site based on what it is about.
Subject directories are hierarchically organized indexes of subject categories that allow the searcher to browse through lists of sites by subject in search of relevant information. Many subject directories include a search engine for searching their own database. A rated list of subject directories can be found at Subject Directories. Search engines allow the searcher to find a site based on its contents. The searcher enters keywords that are run against a database, retrieving documents that match the keywords entered by the searcher.