I never thought as a Professional Organiser that I would ever write a blog about internet browsers and search engines. Yet, as I embark on helping more clients organise their digital lives, I felt the need to do so.
Why?
Because it’s easy for people who have grown up with technology to assume that terms like search engines, Chrome, internet browsers, and Yahoo are understood by all but the truth is for some people these terms are simply Information Technology (IT) jargon.
I will be honest I have been guilty of blurting out these terms when working with clients to organise their digital stuff. And I automatically assume they know what I mean when I ask them to open their internet browser, but the look on their face tells a different story.
So, I have decided to take the time now to explain the difference between web browsers and search engines which are two essential tools people need for using the Internet.
Note this blog won’t be going into technical detail or explaining which web browsers or search engines are better, that’s a blog for an IT guru; instead, I will be explaining what web browsers and search engines are, and how they relate to the Internet.
Let’s being!
What Are Web Browsers?
A web browser (also known as an internet browser or browser for short) is software that you have installed on your computer or smartphone that allows you to view web pages on the Internet.
There are many web browsers out there, below are some of the more common ones:
Internet Explorer & Microsoft Edge developed by Microsoft
Note it looks like Internet Explorer will be replaced by Microsoft Edge
Google Chrome developed by Google
Firefox developed by Mozilla
Safari developed by Apple
But there are many more.
From my experience, they all perform a similar function (I feel like I may have offended someone with this comment), to view internet pages. Ultimately which one you use is a personal preference. I use Chrome as I like how it looks and not because I was paid by Google to say so.
How does a web browser work?
1.Open the browser from your computer or smartphone.
2. Enter the website in the address field box, e.g. www.creatingpostivespaces.com.au.
3. Click enter.
You will now be taken to the website connected to that address.
A web browser is designed to connect you to the Internet. I like to think of a web browser as the gateway or door to the Internet. Once you open your browser (the door), you can access the many pages located on the Internet.
If however, you open your web browser and you are not sure of the website address, or you want to do a general search of the Internet that’s when you can use a search engine.
What Are Search Engines?
A search engine is a web page on the Internet that allows you to search for content on the Internet. And like web browsers, there are many search engines you can use, I have listed a few below:
Google – https://www.google.com
Bing – https://www.bing.com
Yahoo – http://www.yahoo.com
DuckDuckGo – https://duckduckgo.com
The one you use comes down to personal preference.
However!
Google is by far the most popular search engine; it has become so popular that when we want to search for something on the Internet, many people say I’ll Google it. Again I’m not paid by google to write this.
How does the search engine work?
1. Open your web browser.
2. Enter the search engine address in the field box.
Note some web browsers will have default search engines. I use Google Chrome, and my default search engine is Google, this means when I open Chrome, I’m automatically taken to the google search engine.
3. Enter your search term in the search box, e.g. Creating Positive Spaces.
4. Click enter.
Once you enter a search in the search bar, you will be given a lot of search results relating to that search term.
5. Click on the link to view the relevant page.
I like to think of search engines as directories to the Internet.
Web browsers and search engines play two different roles when it comes to the world of the Internet. The web browser acts as a door to the Internet while the search engine helps you to search and find content contained within the Internet. I hope this blog helps you to understand what roles a web browser and search engine play when it comes to the Internet.
If you need support with organising your digital content, please let me know via email at joey@creatingpositivespaces.com.au or via phone on 0401 149 185 (Australian Number).
Cover Photo by Domenico Loia on Unsplash
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