> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.omnifact.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Using Web Search for Research
> Learn strategies for effective online research using Omnifact's real-time web search capabilities.
Omnifact's Web Search capability allows the AI assistant to access real-time information from the internet, going beyond its training data to provide up-to-date and context-aware responses. Searches are performed via the **Brave Search API**, supporting English and German queries. This guide explores how to use this feature effectively for professional research.
**Access requirements:** Web Search must be enabled for your group by a team administrator in **Team Settings** > **Groups** > **Permissions** (**Use web search and browsing**). If you do not see web search activity in your conversations, ask your administrator to confirm the feature is enabled for your group.
## When to Use Web Search
Web Search is most valuable when you need information that is:
* **Current:** Recent news, events, market data, or software updates that happened after the AI's training cutoff.
* **Specific:** Niche technical details, error codes, or local business information.
* **Broad:** General knowledge, definitions, or historical context not fully covered in your internal documents.
**Web Search vs. Uploaded Files**
Use **Web Search** for external information (competitors, industry trends, news). Use your **Uploaded Files** (in Spaces) for internal company information (policies, project specs, meeting notes).
## How to Trigger Web Search
Web Search is available only in the [**Auto** response mode](/en/platform/core-features/chats/response-modes#auto-mode-default). In **Quick Response** mode, the AI answers directly without using tools. In **Simple Lookup** mode (Spaces with Uploaded Files only), the AI retrieves from your documents only. Select **Auto** in the response mode selector at the bottom of the chat input before sending your message.
You can activate Web Search in two ways within **Auto** mode:
1. **Automatic Detection:** Simply ask your question. If the AI determines it needs external information to answer accurately, it will automatically search the web.
* *Example:* "What is the current stock price of Apple?"
2. **Explicit Request:** Force a search by instructing the AI to look online. This is useful if the AI might otherwise try to answer from memory.
* *Example:* "Search the web for the latest reviews of the iPhone 16."
## Effective Research Strategies
To get the best results from Web Search, treat it as an iterative process.
### 1. Be Specific with Keywords
Just like a traditional search engine, specific queries yield better results.
* **Less Effective:** "Competitor analysis"
* **More Effective:** "Compare pricing and features of Asana vs. Monday.com for enterprise plans in 2026"
### 2. Anchor with Dates and Timeframes
For current events, regulations, pricing, or industry trends, include a year, quarter, or phrase like "as of today" so search results prioritize recent information.
* **Less Effective:** "What are the EU AI Act requirements?"
* **More Effective:** "What are the EU AI Act compliance requirements as of 2026?"
* **Also Effective:** "Search for SaaS pricing changes announced in Q1 2026."
Explicit date anchors help trigger a web search instead of an answer from training data, and they steer results toward current sources.
### 3. Iterate and Refine
Start with a broad search to get an overview, then ask follow-up questions to drill down into specific areas.
1. **Initial Search:** "What are the top 3 trends in renewable energy for 2025?"
2. **Follow-up:** "Focus on the second trend. Which companies are leading in this area?"
3. **Deep Dive:** "Search for recent news about \[Company Name]'s latest product launch."
### 4. Verify with Citations
Omnifact cites its sources so you can trust the information.
* **Check the Source:** Click the citation numbers (e.g., `[1]`, `[2]`) at the end of a sentence to see the source URL in the citation list.
* **Evaluate Credibility:** Ensure the information comes from a reputable domain.
* **Dig Deeper:** Use the source links in the citation list to read the full articles for more context.
## Advanced Workflows
### Combining Web Search with Your Uploaded Files
One of the most powerful ways to use Omnifact is to combine external research with your internal knowledge.
**Scenario: Competitive Analysis**
1. **Internal Context:** Ask the AI to recall your product's key features from your Uploaded Files.
* *"Summarize the key USP of our 'Pro' plan from the product specs document."*
2. **External Research:** Ask the AI to search for a competitor's equivalent offering.
* *"Now search for the pricing and features of Competitor X's 'Enterprise' plan."*
3. **Synthesis:** Ask the AI to compare the two.
* *"Create a comparison table showing our Pro plan vs. their Enterprise plan, highlighting our advantages."*
### Fact-Checking and Debunking
Use Web Search to verify claims or rumors.
* *"I heard a rumor that \[Regulation X] is changing next year. Search for official government announcements to confirm this."*
## Limitations and Tips
* **Access Restrictions:** The AI cannot access content behind paywalls, login screens, or captchas.
* **Speed:** Web Search takes slightly longer than generating a response from memory. Use [**Quick Response**](/en/platform/core-features/chats/response-modes#quick-response) mode if you don't need external data.
* **Privacy:** The [**Privacy Filter**](/en/platform/core-features/privacy-security/how-privacy-filter-works) scans your search queries before they are sent to Brave Search. If your query contains masked sensitive data (such as person names, account numbers, or other detected tokens), the search is **blocked** to prevent data leakage. You will be notified so you can rephrase without the sensitive details.
**Pro Tip:** If you find a specific webpage you want the AI to analyze, you can paste the URL directly into the chat. The AI can fetch the page content and summarize or answer questions about it.
## Related Resources
Learn about the technical details of Web Search and Browsing.
Improve your search queries with better prompting techniques.