We know - a genealogy Web site can have all the data in the world, but it's no good to you if you can't find your ancestor in it. When perusing our 101 Best Web Sites, you can ease your climb to the height of genealogical success with these search tips:

• Of course you want to start searching right away, but first take a minute to read the search instructions. You'll learn whether you can employ tricks such as omitting a given name or including wildcards. In Ancestry.com's Exact Matches census searches, for instance, an * after three or more letters of a name represents up to six characters. (Click the Search Tips link in the top right corner of the search box to pick up this tidbit.)