There are times when the usual search engines – such as Google, Yahoo and Bing – aren’t the best way to find people online. Fortunately, we can tell you where to look – and why they work better than traditional search engines.
Finding people online usually begins with a name – and popping a name in Google can yield unpredictable results. You may find that there are thousands of people with the same name – and narrowing it down to the one you want can be a chore.
Or you may be able to key in on the person you want, but find that the information you’re looking for – such as a current address or phone number – may not be readily available.
Finding people on Facebook, Instagram or other social networks can be a slightly better option. The drawback with these is that not everyone uses social media (or – if they do – their profiles may not be public, might not have the info you’re looking for, or might be heavily curated to give you a false idea of what they’re really like). This is a key point to remember when online dating. It is very easy for anyone to create a false persona, even on social networks.
In addition, whether using a search engine or using social media, a deeper dig into a person’s background – such as criminal records or marriage/divorce records – may not be available at all even though they are public records.
What makes finding people online challenging is that though a lot of the information you might be interested in is actually a matter of public record, many county governments/courthouses don’t put this information online (or, if they do, it’s not available for free). This means that unless you know exactly which courthouse to check, there’s almost no chance you’ll find what you’re after.
Fortunately, there are companies that specialize in in helping to find people online. These people search companies have already done the legwork of collecting all the information available from every courthouse across the United States and matched them together for lightning fast people searches.
Even if a person currently living in New York has a divorce record in Florida and a judgement in California, a people search company can get you all the details in just seconds using with just a name and last known (or current) city/state. You can even try a free search below:
Through our partnership with PeopleFinders.com, you'll receive Industry-Leading data by combining over 43 Billion Verified Public Records giving you the most comprehensive Background, Criminal, People, Marriage and Divorce Checks available Online. We receive income from our partnerships.
If you’re trying to find people online, it’s hard to beat the results you’ll get from a dedicated, professional people finder company. No, it’s not free (comprehensive reports start at around $10), but it’s typically less than the cost of getting one record from one courthouse (and that’s assuming you’d even know where to look). And, if you’re not happy with the results, there’s a money back guarantee, so you’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.
Related Posts
1. How to Find People in the US
2. How can I find someone’s current address?
3. How to do a Background Check (hint: it’s easy!)

Ron is the lead writer for USATrace.com. Ron has over 40 years of experience both as a private investigator and attorney. He brings excellent value to the site with his insite on public records and the changing demographics of people search on the internet. You can contact Ron via ron.richardson@usatrace.com.