It depends, often using a single word is enough to get good results, particularly if the word is specific and local 'Severn' perhaps.

But more often the more specific information you enter the better your results will be. For example, 'tax credits' will give you more specific results than just entering 'tax'.

Putting more than one word in double quote marks ("…") will enter your terms as a phrase. This will mean that the search engine will look for instances where those words appear together, and can significantly improve results. For example, entering "Home Office" in double quotes will bring you much better results than without. Double quote marks can also be useful for finding actual quotations.

Sometimes searching with a common word or for popular information can bring back too many results. There are various methods to limit these results so that they are more useful.

Please use our A to Z facility to help you find items on our website.  There is a link to 'A to Z' in the grey toolbar near the top of every page.  You may refine your A - Z search by selecting or unselecting the tick boxes tagged Services, People, Places and Documents to refine your search by excluding or including some or all of these criteria in your search.