How Accurate are Searches?

In today’s world of fast-paced technological advances, it’s easy to find almost anything you want. Going online to find things is as common now as it once was in the days of looking through the yellow pages of a phone book or dialing 4-1-1 for operator assistance.
However, even with today’s current technology and speed with our online searches, there are still instances when searches don’t always give you the detailed or valuable information that you’ve been promised.

Searching for Things

You can perform online searches for just about anything imaginable. Everything from people, places, things, styles, types, categories, etc. are all varying types of searches you can launch to custom dwindle your searches down to find exactly what you’re looking for, and in almost any area. Although searches can be as extensive as you’d like, there are times when your searches can produce results with little to no value, especially if you are not using a quality search site. Returns from low-quality searches can leave you wondering whether or not your searches are even giving you the correct information, not even considering the value of that information. What do you do?

0-100% Accuracy

Although there is no search system that is absolutely fool-proof in terms of accuracy, you can still find correct and substantiated sites that will give you as high accuracy ratings as possible. General information on some topics will change frequently, but there are some areas and categories that will remain consistent over time. For instance, social security number searches are likely guaranteed to remain accurate, however, the names that are attached to social security numbers can and do change. This is especially true in the case of marriages and divorces and even legal name changes. Therefore, you must always consider the type of information you’re requesting and its probability of change before determining the accuracy of the returned information.

Another way to determine whether or not your searches are accurate is to find out the frequency of the database’s updates. Is it on a routine basis, even if there are fewer categories to update? Or do the database owners wait until there is a significant (albeit relative) amount of information that has changed before they perform an update? You should determine for your own needs what time frequency is important as far as updates are concerned. If you’re working with time-sensitive items, you will want to ensure that the updates are done frequently so that you’re given the most recent pool of information from which you’re drawing.

Read the Fine Print

It’s also important to take note of any exceptions or conditional clauses that the database owner gives to its customers. Accuracy of information produced is only as good as the information that is available to be found of course, therefore it’s important to consider this in determining whether or not the search results are favorable. Conditional clauses may include events that would have prohibited the search company from accessing certain information. There are some portals of information that may be strictly prohibited to access, such as there are in legal files or sealed files. In general terms, this may not apply, but if you’re searching for instance for multiple files searchable for a particular category that’s been sealed, the company may not be able to access that information.

The best way to ensure search accuracy is to deal with a search company that has a proven track-record and where customers report that they’ve gotten good results. This shows that the company is working to keep their database accurate and current. And if customers are continuing to use their services, you can be assured that they are experiencing accurate and ideal results.