Before you search for genealogy DO THIS!
Video & Show Notes: When you pay for a genealogy website, you want to get the most for your money. Don’t randomly search hoping to find something about our family. Instead, follow these steps that will lead to finding more records about your ancestors, faster!
Length: 10 minutes
Year: 2024
Adjust video quality: click gear icon. Fullscreen, CC and transcription search are also available.
Show Notes
Google Search Operators:
- Use quotation marks around a word or phrase to search for an exact match
- Example: “John Smith”
Genealogy Website Search Operators:
- Ancestry.com has its own unique wild cards and search operators
- Example: Use ? as a wildcard to replace a single letter – Example: Smi?h to find Smith, Smyth, etc.
Website Search Help:
Each genealogy website has its own set of search operators. Save time and get better results by first learning what is supported by the particular website you will be searching.
- Search with Google to find the website’s own search operator guide / help documentation. It’s faster than digging through the website’s menu and you’re likely to find more than one excellent resource. Use the following Google search queries:
- [website] search help
- [website] search operators
- Save or print the search operator instructions as a personal “cheat sheet” for reference as you search. You can do this a number of ways:
- Saving the page as a PDF
- Printing the page using the “Custom Print” feature to target only the pages you need
- Copy and paste the pertinent text into a document or note
Remember, search operators and techniques vary by website, so be sure to check each site’s help documentation.
Resources
Download the cheat sheet handout for this video. (Premium membership required)
Learn more about searching with Google:
- Google – Getting Better Search Results (Premium)
- The Genealogist’s Google Search Methodology (Premium)