5. Searching the internet effectively

A search engine is a website that scans billions of pages on the internet and shows you the most relevant results for what you type. The most widely used search engine in Ethiopia is Google (google.com). Others include Bing (bing.com) and DuckDuckGo (duckduckgo.com).

When you type words into Google and press Search, Google does three things very fast:

1. It looks through an index — a giant catalogue of web pages it has already visited.

2. It ranks pages by relevance — how well they match your words — and by authority — how many other sites link to that page.

3. It shows you a results page (called SERP — Search Engine Results Page) with links, short descriptions, and sometimes direct answers.

The first result is not always the best result. Paid advertisements appear at the very top and are labelled "Sponsored" or "Ad". Below those come the organic (non-paid) results. Always read the description under each link before you click.

The words you type into Google are called a search query or keywords. Choosing the right keywords makes a huge difference in the quality of results you get.

Poor query → vague results:

"medicine" → millions of pages about all kinds of medicine.

Better query → focused results:

"malaria treatment Ethiopia 2024" → specific articles about malaria treatment in Ethiopia.

Key principles for writing good queries:

1. Use specific nouns, not vague questions. Instead of "how do I send money", try "TeleBirr send money to another person steps".

2. Add your location when relevant. "pharmacy open Sunday Addis Ababa" is much better than "pharmacy open".

3. Use the language your source is likely in. For government forms in Ethiopia, searching in Amharic (e.g. ‹የኢትዮጵያ ፓስፖርት አሰጣጥ›) often finds the right government page faster.

4. Remove filler words. Google ignores words like "the", "a", "what is". Include them only in exact-phrase searches (see Tip below).

After you search, Google shows a row of filter tabs below the search bar — use them to narrow your results:

• All — the default, shows every type of result.

• News — recent articles from news websites (good for current events).

• Images — shows pictures related to your query.

• Videos — shows YouTube and other video results.

• Maps — shows locations on a map (great for finding shops, offices, hospitals in Addis Ababa).

• Shopping — shows products for sale (useful for price comparison).

You can also click Tools (next to the filter tabs) to filter by:

• Time — set a date range, e.g. "Past year" to see only recent information. This is very important when looking for prices, government policies, or medical information that changes frequently.

• Language — filter results to a specific language.

Sara is looking for the current TeleBirr transfer fee. She types «TeleBirr transfer fee» → clicks Tools → Past year. This makes sure she is not reading an outdated fee schedule.

Not everything on the internet is true. Being able to judge whether a source is reliable is one of the most important digital skills.

Ask these five questions before trusting information:

1. Who wrote it? Look for the author's name or the organisation behind the site. A medical article from the Ethiopian Ministry of Health is more reliable than an anonymous blog post.

2. When was it published? Outdated information can be harmful — especially for health, finance, or law topics. Check the date.

3. What is the web address (URL)? Government sites end in .gov or .gov.et. Universities end in .edu or .edu.et. These are generally more reliable than .com or .net sites, though exceptions exist.

4. Does it cite its sources? Trustworthy articles link to studies, official statistics, or other authoritative documents.

5. Does the same information appear on multiple reliable sites? If you find the same fact on three independent, credible sources, it is much more likely to be true.

A quick warning about social media: Facebook, Telegram, and TikTok are NOT search engines. Information shared there has no fact-checking before posting. Always verify surprising news you see on social media using a real search engine.

Let us look at three everyday situations where a good internet search saves time and money.

Situation 1 — Almaz needs to renew her passport.

She types «Ethiopian passport renewal requirements 2024 site:immigration.gov.et» and finds the official document checklist in under a minute — no need to travel to the Immigration office just to ask.

Situation 2 — Abebe wants to compare prices for a new phone.

He searches «Samsung Galaxy A15 price Ethiopia» then clicks the Shopping tab. He compares three stores in Addis Ababa and saves 400 birr by choosing the cheaper option.

Situation 3 — A neighbour tells Sara that a new law was passed making TeleBirr fees free. Sara is not sure this is true.

She opens Google, types «TeleBirr fee 2024 Ethiopia news», clicks News filter, and checks the past-month results. She finds no official announcement — the rumour was false. She shares what she found with her neighbour so he doesn't make a wrong financial decision.