Search Tips
The following helpful guide explains the search syntax on
Westchestergov.com's web site which uses Google's search
service: To enter a query, type
in a few descriptive words and press Enter (or click the Search
button) for a list of relevant web pages. Since Google only
returns web pages that contain all the words in your query,
refining or narrowing your search is as simple as adding more
words to the search terms you have already entered. Your new
query will return a smaller subset of the pages Google found for
your original "too-broad" query. Choosing Keywords
For best results, it's important to choose your
keywords wisely. Keep these tips in mind:
Try the obvious first. If you're looking for
information on Picasso, enter "Picasso" rather than
"painters".
Use words likely to appear on a site with the
information you want. "Luxury hotel dubuque" gets better results
than "really nice places to spend the night in Dubuque".
Make keywords as specific as possible.
"Antique lead soldiers" gets more relevant results than "old
metal toys".
Automatic "and" Queries
By default, Google only returns pages that
include all of your search terms. There is no need to include
"and" between terms. Keep in mind that the order in which the
terms are typed will affect the search results. To restrict a
search further, just include more terms. For example, to plan a
vacation to Hawaii, simply type:
Automatic Exclusion of Common Words
Google ignores common words and characters such
as "where" and "how", as well as certain single digits and
single letters, because they tend to slow down your search
without improving the results. Google will indicate if a common
word has been excluded by displaying details on the results page
below the search box.
If a common word is essential to getting the results you want,
you can include it by putting a "+" sign in front of it. (Be
sure to include a space before the "+" sign.)
Another method for doing this is conducting a phrase search,
which means putting quotation marks around two or more words.
Common words in a phrase search (e.g., "where are you") are
included in the search.
For example, to search for Star Wars, Episode I, use:
~ OR ~
Capitalization
Google searches are NOT case sensitive. All
letters, regardless of how you type them, will be understood as
lower case. For example, searches for "george washington",
"George Washington", and "gEoRgE wAsHiNgToN" will all return the
same results.
Word Variations (Stemming)
To provide the most accurate results, Google
does not use "stemming" or support "wildcard" searches. In other
words, Google searches for exactly the words that you enter in
the search box. Searching for "book" or "book*" will not yield
"books" or "bookstore". If in doubt, try both forms: "airline"
and "airlines," for instance.
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