1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
Some investigation searches return gold; others return noise, paywalls, or the wrong country. Today you learn what to do when a search is weak: change the words, lock the search to a trusted site, check past the first screen of results, and rephrase the question until the results match what you need.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Improve weak searches with synonyms, site filters, and rephrasing
- Look beyond the first page of results
- Document three refinements of one weak search and identify the best
Warm-up
If you already have an investigation search log, open it now and look back over the queries you typed, because one of them is about to get three more goes. Find the query that disappointed you most, and ask yourself why it let you down: were the words wrong, was the whole site type wrong, did the results come from another country, or was it something else again? Keep that weak query in mind, because you will refine it three times today.
No log yet? Create {{code:sm4_search_log.xlsx}} in {{code:Project_Portfolio/09_specialism/sm4/}} with these column headers: date, query, best result URL, reason it's useful, refinement notes. Write one weak investigation-related query in the first data row so you have something to refine.
2 - Key Concepts ~6 mins
Today you will use a simple three-move pattern on one weak query:
- Change the words (synonyms or tighter keywords, plus Ireland when you need local results)
- Lock to a trusted site with a {{code:site:}} filter
- Rephrase the whole question (and check past the first screen of results)
Use the toolkit table while you work. Each move targets a different kind of weak result.
| Concept | Why it matters | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Word changes — swap a weak keyword for a near-meaning word, add a precise term, or drop a word that is drowning the results | Irish sources often use different wording from US or UK pages; one better word can unlock local, usable hits | Swap "job centre" for "Intreo", or try "market stall startup costs Ireland" instead of a vague "food stall costs" |
| site: filter — limits results to one website or related official sites | Stops random blogs crowding out official guidance when you need authoritative Irish sources | {{code:site:gov.ie apprenticeship}}, {{code:site:citizensinformation.ie rent}}, or {{code:site:fsai.ie food business}} for trusted public information |
| Past the first screen — deliberately open results beyond the first page (page 2, More results, or keep scrolling) | High-ranking hits are often ads, clickbait list pages, or US content; useful Irish PDFs often sit lower | A Met Éireann or CSO PDF may appear further down a weather or census query while the first screen is full of news recaps |
| Full rephrase — rewrite the whole query as a different question; put quotes around an exact phrase when bodies use fixed wording | Search engines match phrasing; a new angle (and exact phrases like licence names) finds sources your first wording never ranked | Change "is my side hustle legal Ireland" to {{code:"sole trader registration" Ireland requirements}}, or try {{code:"street trader licence" Ireland application fee}} |
Worked example: three refinements of one weak query
Investigation topic: costs of starting a small food stall in Ireland. Weak first query: food stall costs.
- Refinement 1 (word changes + place): {{code:market stall startup costs Ireland}} — "market stall" is a useful synonym; Ireland and startup steer toward local setup pages.
- Refinement 2 (site filter): {{code:site:gov.ie food business registration}} or try {{code:site:fsai.ie food business}} — lands official guidance, not blogs.
- Refinement 3 (rephrase + exact phrase): {{code:"street trader licence" Ireland application fee}} — often surfaces local authority or Citizens Information pages with practical fee and application details (results and exact fees vary by council and year, so always check the live page). Winner is usually the rephrase when it answers the money-and-rules question with a concrete Irish source.
You will run the same three-move pattern on one weak entry from your own log.
3 - Step-by-step Task ~15 mins
Follow the steps for your device to refine one weak search three ways. You will use a traditional search engine (Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo) and jot a quick log line after each refinement: the query you typed, the best link it gave you, and one note on how good that link was. At the end your teacher will fill in one complete row of the search log on the board, so you can see what a finished row looks like before you write your own. Independent practice then applies the same pattern to your own investigation log.
4 - Common Issues ~4 mins
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| site:gov.ie returns nothing useful for my topic | Try a related trusted domain such as {{code:site:citizensinformation.ie}}, {{code:site:fsai.ie}}, {{code:site:revenue.ie}}, or {{code:site:cso.ie}}. Not every topic lives on gov.ie. |
| My three refinements all look the same | Change the strategy, not just the spelling. Use one word-change pass, one site: filter, and one full rephrase so each move tests a different idea. |
| I cannot find a page 2 button | Scroll to the bottom of the results list. Some engines show numbered pages; others show a {{btn:More results}} control or continuous scroll — keep going past the first screen either way. |
| Every top result is an ad or a shopping page | Add {{code:Ireland}}, a quoted exact phrase, or a site: filter. Avoid commercial bait words like "buy" or "best" unless you genuinely need product pages. |
5 - Independent Practice ~20 mins
Independent Practice
- Open {{code:Project_Portfolio/09_specialism/sm4/sm4_search_log.xlsx}}. If the file is missing, create it there with headers: date | query | best result URL | reason it's useful | refinement notes.
- Pick one weak query from the log (or write a new weak investigation query to start).
- Refinement A — word change: run a synonym or keyword version. Fill one new row: date, full query text, best URL, short quality note, and strategy tag "word change" in refinement notes.
- Refinement B — site: filter: run a {{code:site:}} search on a trusted Irish domain. Fill a second row the same way with strategy tag "site filter".
- Refinement C — full rephrase: rewrite the question (use quotes around an exact phrase if it helps) and check past the first results screen once. Fill a third row with strategy tag "rephrase".
- Mark the winner: in the refinement notes cell of the winning row, start with {{code:WINNER:}} then one sentence tied to your investigation question. Keep the filename {{code:sm4_search_log.xlsx}} and save.
- Three new log rows sit under your chosen weak query, each using a different strategy (word change, site: filter, full rephrase)
- At least one row uses a site: filter or a check past the first results screen
- Each row has a real URL and a short quality note (Irish source, concrete fact, or still weak)
- The winning row's refinement notes start with {{code:WINNER:}} plus one sentence linked to your investigation question, and the file is saved as {{code:sm4_search_log.xlsx}}
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