The Mormon Church www.familysearch.org  has done a great service to genealogy by microfilming millions of civil and church records around the world and making them available for people of other religions to search. These films can be ordered at a small fee and searched at one of their Family History Centres all over the world and even at selected libraries and archives. They also have a huge complex in Utah where the films are stored and records and books that are NOT available to be shipped out, can be viewed in person. There are people on site who can help you with your search in the complex.
They have also created a website where their members, and others can post and therefore share their research. There is no guarantee of accuracy for what is posted by others OR for their indexing. You can create your own family tree on line and connect with others searching the same names.
There are links with many other sites, some paid and some not. A great convenience.
Their indexing has been done by volunteers. Many working long hours to try to decipher the elaborate script of many nations, or the scribbles of census takers in a hurry to complete their assignment. You need to be flexible in your searching, or hire someone who has made a business of navigating poorly indexed records. (lostquays@ymail.com)
The LDS site also has tips, tutorials, mentoring and more. It takes patience to navigate a complex site like this one. Take some time to learn the tricks of getting better results.