Learning Topic: Browsers and search engines. What’s the difference? How can you optimize your internet experience?
What is it? Browsers are used to access the Internet while search engines allow you to find specific websites on the Internet.
What’s the value? Knowing the difference can help you be efficient when browsing the Internet.
When do you use it? Everytime you use the Internet you are using a browser and likely a search engine
A browser is a software program that is installed on your computer. Common examples include Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome, etc. A browser is used to access various websites / web pages.
A search engine allows you to navigate the Internet based on keywords you enter, and returns a list of documents that match the searched criteria. Common search engines include Google, Yahoo and Bing.
To get to a search engine, you must use a browser. (Browsers help you access the Internet and search engines help you search on the Internet).
Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are among the top web browsers, providing fast performance and strong privacy tools.
Safari is often the default browser for Apple products, and is usually a solid option. However, when faced with non OS (Apple software) programs, Safari tends to underperform.
In terms of search engines, Google is the most commonly used, with 73 percent of the searches on the Internet. In contrast, Bing comprises 7.91 percent of the searches.
The largest discrepancy between search engines is that the larger companies like Google often store user search data to facilitate custom ads.
For many, this is annoying but bearable for the convenience and familiarity of Google. However, if you are unwilling to make this trade, other search engines like Bing or DuckDuckGo may be the best option.
If using Google Chrome follow these instructions:
Click the three dots in the upper right hand corner of the browser as pictured below
It will show a popup in the corner, click “Settings”
Next, scroll down until you see “Manage search engines”. Here you can change your default search engine. This means that if you set it to Google and search in the bar at the top of the screen it will automatically search through Google.com.
If using Safari follow these instructions:
Click the “Safari” in the upper left corner, which will give you a drop-down menu.
From here click “Preferences” and then “Search”
Here you can add your preferred search engine in the search engine drop-down menu.
Technology 101 