Start with Search Engines to Find Someone Online

The internet is an easy access tool used by millions of people world-wide for a variety of missing persons search activities. Can you really find someone online? How do you go about it?

Plan to take a strategic approach if you want to find someone online. Start by checking for information via the broadest internet search tools available. Search engines are the largest source of information available online today. Three of the most popular search engines are google.com, yahoo.com, msn.com and ask.com.

Keep the following points in mind when you try to find someone via search engines

Contrary to popular belief, search engines do not retrieve information "live" from the internet. Instead, results are generated from a search of web pages currently stored on server databases. Websites and web pages on server databases that are not regularly updated or actively promoted are often overlooked. Search often at regular intervals if you believe someone has a website, blog or other internet content posted online.
Despite the enormity of search engines such as google.com, it is commonly thought that any one search engine contains only half of all information published on the World Wide Web. It is therefore worth your while to check more than one search engine to increase the likelihood you will find someone online.
To further increase the odds you will successfully find someone via search engines, be sure to use smart search tactics such as quotation marks, information snippets and Boolean Search techniques. Take advantage of major search engines' country specific versions (such as www.google.com.au for Australia) if you know where you want to search.

If search engines fail to help you find someone, move on to more specialized internet search tools. E-mail search engines, blog directories and digital directories or "people finders" are three narrower search tools you can try.

Copyright and conditions of use: This article is written by John Dobson, manager of Ozpeopletrace and licensed private investigator specialising in people search, it is provided by www.Ozpeopletrace.com.au a professional Australian investigation service. It can be reprinted in its entirety in a newsletter or on a website, provided that all hyperlinks are left intact, the resource box is published in full, and the content is not altered. If you do use the material, send us a note so we can take a look. Thank you! Webmasters, don't forget to link to Ozpeopletrace.