GenealogyPays Search Tips

Search 101
Our friends at Google set a high standard for online search, but we'd like to think we've learned a thing or two from them. For starters — this site is all about genealogy, so you don't have to spend time entering 'genealogy charts' or 'genealogy magazines' or 'genealogy software' into our search box. If it's listed on our site, you can be sure there's a clear connection to our common passion for the world of genealogy and family history.

Importance of Keywords
Whether you're a user of our site or a sponsor (or both), you'll benefit from knowing how to effectively use keywords to frame your search. Single-word queries are generally known as keywords, with multiple-word queries referred to as keyword phrases. Often times, both are simply referred to simply as 'keywords' and serve as the primary ingredient for our search recipe. The more precise you are with your keywords, the more specific your results will be, but don't overdo it or you may unintentionally filter out some great offerings.

The following are examples of keyword phrases:
   • books
   • vintage books
   • new england family bibles
   • swedish church records
   • photo restoration
   • british outbound passenger ship lists

When you submit a search through our site, we scan through several data fields seeking an exact match. Some of these fields are visible to users, others are not. The name of an organization, brief description, and certain keywords that each has used to describe their primary offering are those that will yield a successful result. To preserve the integrity of our service, we also retain all rights to edit or remove any keywords or descriptions which we believe are misleading or inappropriate.

We will continue to make small refinement to our search algorithm in an effort to provide the best results. If you have any comments, we encourage you to contact us at your convenience.