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Choosing a pet (writing unbiased queries)

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Search engines try to predict what you are looking for using the words in your question. A friend is getting their first pet and wants help making the best choice for their family. You decide to help them search the internet to learn more.

Questions to think about:

  • What qualities are you looking for in a pet?
  • What do you need to know before making a decision?

Try it

  1. Open Search Coach
  2. Enter [are cats better than dogs] in the search bar and run your search.
  3. Look at the first five result titles.
    - Do they favor cats or dogs?
  4. Find the coaching tip.
    - What does the coaching tip recommend?
  5. Let's prove the coaching tip. Enter [are dogs better than cats] and search.
  6. Look at the first five results.
    - How do the results differ from your first search?
    - How can we settle this?
  7. One way to compare opinions is to have a debate. Enter [dogs cats debate] and search one more time.
    - How are these results different?
    - Which results do you trust most? Why?

Think about it

  • What did you learn about asking questions in a search engine?
  • Based on the Search tip, what do you think the word “biased” means?
  • What other words might lead to biased results?

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