It's extremely frustrating when we try to search the Web and we don't get the results we're looking for. This frustration arises largely from simple searching mistakes that both newbie's and experienced searchers make. Here are 4 common mistakes in searching the Web:

Mistake # 1: Searching using the wrong tools

Hammer is to nails and nail cutter is to toenails. Of course, you don't use a hammer for your toenails, do you? Along this line, many people use the wrong tool when they search the Web. This makes the search process less effective and a lot longer.

The first thing you must do is to decide whether you're using a search engine, a metasearch engine, a directory, etc. A general and good approach is to start your web with large search engines like Google and Yahoo and then try some the smaller directories and engines.

Mistake # 2: Leaving out a major concept

Another common mistake is when you leave out a key concept. For example, you're researching a topic about the enormous impacts of unions on NAFTA outsourcing. You have obviously three major concepts here, namely: NAFTA, outsourcing, and unions. You should come up with a search statement like this: "NAFTA AND outsourcing AND unions."

Search statements such as "NAFTA AND outsourcing" or "NAFTA AND union" won't give you the results you need for the topic since the major concepts "unions" and "outsourcing", respectively, are left out.

Mistake # 3: Including nonessential words

Just because a certain word clarifies or is important to your topic doesn't mean you should include it in your search statement. Consider the following: "Does a male manager's capability to achieve a work-life balance change over time?" While the search asks about a manager's capability to implement or create a work-life balance, most words in the question are mere descriptions and unnecessary.

The following restated question is better: "Do male managers improve their work-life balance?" The search statement should be like this: "male managers AND work-life balance."

Mistake # 4: Representing action or process words

You may be searching about a question that asks cause-relationship effects between things. For example, "Do non-monetary rewards increase employee motivation?" A bad search strategy is "non-monetary rewards AND increase AND motivation."There's no need to include in your search strategy the word "increase" as it's an unnecessary action word. A good search might be "non-monetary rewards AND motivation."