How to use Google Search effectively - Part 3

This is part 3 of the series. For part 2, click here. For the first part of the series, click here.

Syntax


            Now you know what to search for. You have worded your query exactly suited to what you need. Now you can filter those results using commands so that it makes it easier on you to go through them all. Google Search has certain commands and symbols you can use to make your life easier. Here are some that I could think of off the top of my head:

  • If you want a certain word to appear in a search result exactly as you typed it, put it within quotation marks.
     
  • If you do not want a certain word to appear in the search results, put a minus (-) sign before it.

  • If you want Google to search for your query on a particular website and nothing else, type ‘site:’ and the website name and Google will filter results accordingly.

  • If you want your search results to contain a range of numbers, put a double dot between the lowest and highest value.

  • Google converts units into other units on its search page itself.  You use this by using the command “X unit1 in Y unit2”.

Click to enlarge photo

Click to enlarge photo

The next few tips are not Google commands, but using them can significantly improve search results:

  • If you just want to read a Wikipedia or a Wikia article on a certain topic, include the word ‘wiki’ in your search query. This almost guarantees that the first few results will be wiki links.

  • If you are looking for a solution to a problem, include the words ‘solved’ in your query; forum moderators usually put up tags like “|SOLVED|” or ”[SOLVED]” on problems which have been resolved on their discussion boards, and Google catalogues these as well.

  • If a website you want to access is experiencing downtime at the moment, you can click the double arrow next to the search result. This opens up a sort of submenu with a screenshot of the page you clicked. Here, you can click on ‘cached’ to take you to an earlier version of the website which Google stored on its servers. The date of the cached page will appear once you click it.

 Some miscellaneous pointers:
  • Do not just look at the first page in Google, go to pages 2 and 3 for results which are often overlooked, but which might be useful.
  • If someone else can find something, so can you. Take a look at what they searched for exactly.

 Hopefully this guide (of sorts) helped you understand a bit more about how Google Search works, and if you are with me so far, maybe writing this article wasn’t a complete waste of time, and now you can rely on your own self for those obscure searches which have always eluded you before.

=] 


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