12 Quick Tips To Search Google Like An Expert
If you're like me, you probably use Google many times a day. But, chances
are, unless you are a technology geek, you probably still use Google in its
simplest form. If your current use of Google is limited to typing a few
words in, and changing your query until you find what you're looking for,
then I'm here to tell you that there's a better way - and it's not hard to
learn. On the other hand, if you are a technology geek, and can use Google
like the best of them already, then I suggest you bookmark this article.
You'll then have it on hand when you are ready to pull your hair out in
frustration when watching a neophyte repeatedly type in basic queries in a
desperate attempt to find something.
The following tips are based on my own experience and things that I actually
find useful. The list is by no means comprehensive. But, I assure you that
by learning and using the 12 tips below, you'll rank up there with the best
of the Google experts out there. I've kept the descriptions intentionally
terse as you're likely to grasp most of these simply by looking at the
example anyways.
12 Quick Tips To Search Google Like An Expert
1. Explicit Phrase: Lets say you are looking for content about
internet marketing. Instead of just typing internet marketing into the
Google search box, you will likely be better off searching explicitly for
the phrase. To do this, simply enclose the search phrase within double
quotes.
Example: "internet marketing"
2. Exclude Words: Lets say you want to search for content about
internet marketing, but you want to exclude any results that contain the
term advertising. To do this, simply use the "-" sign in front of the word
you want to exclude.
Example Search: internet marketing -advertising
3. Site Specific Search: Often, you want to search a specific website
for content that matches a certain phrase. Even if the site doesn't support
a built-in search feature, you can use Google to search the site for your
term. Simply use the "site:somesite.com" modifier.
Example: "internet marketing" site:www.smallbusinesshub.com
4. Similar Words and Synonyms: Let's say you are want to include a
word in your search, but want to include results that contain similar words
or synonyms. To do this, use the "~" in front of the word.
Example: "internet marketing" ~professional
5. Specific Document Types: If you're looking to find results that are
of a specific type, you can use the modifier "filetype:". For example, you
might want to find only PowerPoint presentations related to internet
marketing.
Example: "internet marketing" filetype:ppt
6. This OR That: By default, when you do a search, Google will include
all the terms specified in the search. If you are looking for any one of
one or more terms to match, then you can use the OR operator. (Note: The
OR has to be capitalized).
Example: internet marketing OR advertising
7. Phone Listing: Let's say someone calls you on your mobile number
and you don't know how it is. If all you have is a phone number, you can
look it up on Google using the phonebook feature.
Example: phonebook:617-555-1212 (note: the provided number does not work
- you'll have to use a real number to get any results).
8. Area Code Lookup: If all you need to do is to look-up the area code
for a phone number, just enter the 3-digit area code and Google will tell
you where it's from.
Example: 617
9. Numeric Ranges: This is a rarely used, but highly useful tip.
Let's say you want to find results that contain any of a range of numbers.
You can do this by using the X..Y modifier (in case this is hard to read,
what's between the X and Y are two periods. This type of search is useful
for years (as shown below), prices or anywhere where you want to provide a
series of numbers.
Example: president 1940..1950
10. Stock (Ticker Symbol): Just enter a valid ticker symbol as your
search term and Google will give you the current financials and a quick
thumb-nail chart for the stock.
Example: GOOG
11. Calculator: The next time you need to do a quick calculation,
instead of bringing up the Calculator applet, you can just type your
expression in to Google.
Example: 48512 * 1.02
12. Word Definitions: If you need to quickly look up the definition of
a word or phrase, simply use the "define:" command.
Example: define:plethora
Hope this proves useful in your future Google searches. If there are any of
your favorite Google power tips that I've missed, please feel free to share
them in the comments.
source:
www.smallbusinesshub.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/1264/12-Quick-Tips-To-Se
arch-Google-Like-An-Expert.aspx