Seven tips to help you hit pay dirt online.

1. Give more, get more. Using multiple search terms (up to about four) will increase your likelihood of getting the specific information you want. (For example, instead of typing Canada, try Alberta Canada backpacking.)

2. Narrow your query. Use the minus sign when you don’t want a topic included in the search results. (For example, type Paris tourism -art to find non–art museum attractions.) Note: When using the minus sign, be sure to include a space before it.

3. Find an exact phrase. Using quotation marks ensures that your search will locate the entire phrase. (Type “Leonid Meteor Showers” and your search won’t turn up any bathroom fixtures or former Soviet leaders.)

4. Choose your moment. If you want information from within a specific time frame, you can use two periods to specify a range of dates (for example, labor statistics 2000..2004). You can also use the Internet Archive (www.waybackmachine.org) to find information that was once online but no longer is.

5. Learn to recognize ads. The label “Sponsored Links” means advertisers have paid for those results to be displayed. (However, the results might still be useful.)

6. Track a topic. A relatively new Web tool called Real Simple Syndication, or RSS (no relation to this magazine), compiles information from various sites of your choice on topics you’ve specified. Just create a free account on a service like Newsgator (www.newsgator.com), then select your topics of interest. The service will customize a Web page with links to regularly updated information on those subjects.

7. Use a fuzzy search. If you’re uncertain about a word’s spelling, use a tilde in your search term (for example, for microdermabrasion sites, simply type in microderm~).

These tips are based on Google, but most also work for MSN and Yahoo! searches.