How to Search Google Like a Pro: 11 Tricks You Have to Know-gctid49768

[Ajamu]

How to Search Google Like a Pro: 11 Tricks You Have to Know



Google is a powerful tool, but you're missing out on a lot of that  power if you just type words into it. Master Google and find the best  results faster with these search tricks.
 
Whether you're an inexperienced user or a seasoned professional,  you'll probably find at least one search operator you weren't aware of  here. Many of Google's search operators aren't very well-known.
 

Exact Words and Phrases

 One of the most basic and widely known search tricks is using  quotation marks to search for an exact phrase. For example, perform the  following search and you'll only get pages that contain the word "Hello"  followed by the word "World.""Hello World"



This same method now works for exact-word queries. For example, if  you search for "mining," Google will also show pages that contain the  words "miners." Previously, you'd use a plus sign and search for  +mining, but now you have to enclose the word in quotes:"mining"

Excluding a Word

 The minus sign allows you to specify words that shouldn't appear in  your results. For example, if you're looking for pages about Linux  distributions that don't mention Ubuntu, use the following search:linux distributions -ubuntu


 

Site Search

 The site: operator allows you to perform a search in a specific site.  Let's say you're looking for information on Windows 7 on How-To Geek.  You could use the following searchsite:howtogeek.com windows 7



You can also use the site: operator to specify a domain. For example,  if you're looking for high-quality references, you could use site:.edu to only pull up results from .edu domains.

Related Words

 The tilde (~) operator is the opposite of enclosing a single word in  quotes — it searches for related words, not just the word you type. For  example, if you ran the following search, you'd find search results with  words similar to "geek":~geek



Apparently, "Linux" is the most similar word to geek, followed by  "Greek." "Nerd" comes in third. (Hey, no one ever said Google was  perfect.)

The Wildcard

 The asterisk (*) is a wildcard that can match any word. For example,  if you wanted to see what companies Google has purchased and how much  they paid, you could use this search:"google purchased * for * dollars"


 

Time Ranges

 A little-known search operator allows you to specify a specific time  range. For example, use the following search to find results about  Ubuntu from between 2008 and 2010:ubuntu 2008..2010


 

File Type

 The filetype: operator lets you search for files of a specific file type. For example, you could search for only PDF files.filetype:pdf how to geek


 
One Word or the Other

 The "OR" operator lets you find words that contain one term or  another. For example, using the following search will pull up results  that contain either the word "Ubuntu" or the word "Linux." The word "OR"  must be in uppercase.ubuntu OR linux


 

Word Definitions

 You don't have to Google a word and look for a dictionary link if you  want to see its definition. Use the following search trick and you'll  see an inline definition:define:word


 

Calculator

 Use Google instead of pulling one out or launching a calculator app.  Use the +, -, * and / symbols to specify arithmetic operations. You can  also use brackets for more complicated expressions. Here's an example:(4 + 2) * (6 / 3)


 

Unit Conversions

 The calculator can also convert between units. Just type "X [units] in [units]". Here's an example:5 nautical miles in kilometers


 

Combine these search operators to create more complex queries. Want  to search a specific website for a PDF file, created between 2001 and  2003, that contains a specific phrase but not another phrase? Go ahead.

[Ajamu]

25 handy Google search tips and tricks | News | TechRadar

Tutorial: Search smarter with our expert guide to Google

         Internet News

         By PC Plus
                  November 5th 2010 | Tell us what you think [ 1 comments ]



Page through categories and related topics using the Wonder Wheel
                                                                                                                             
The good thing about Google is that generally, you don't have to be too precise or bend over backwards to find things.

When  you want something specific, though, or just can't find it the  old-fashioned way, these tips will bring it right to your fingertips.

1. Add context
Simply  typing in a search term is usually enough, but you can help Google  along by adding a little more context to your query. The easiest way is  with Boolean operators.

For instance, type fish+chips. The most  common are + and – for adding and removing elements, but you can also  use * as a wildcard, the tilde symbol (top left of your keyboard) for  similar terms, and quotes to get only the "exact phrase you type". One  that almost nobody uses is |, which means 'or'.

2. Search certain sites
Google  doesn't have to look at the entire internet. By adding a 'site:  clarification', you can point it to just one page (or, using an 'I' as  well, multiple).

For instance, if you can't remember whether you  read an article on our page or on our sister site TechRadar, you could  ask it for microsoft site:pcplus.co.uk | site:techradar.com to bring up  lists from both.
The order you get them in will depend on how  much PageRank the individual articles have, but both of them will appear  in the lists.

3. Check spellings
Google can also zero in to specific types of search, such as replacing your dictionary.

Do  the search define:portmanteau and it'll pull definitions of the word  from a number of different sources, including Wordnetwb, Wiktionary and  Wikipedia. You can also use a regular Google search to check your  spelling by typing in how you think a word goes.

 If you have it  wrong, the correct version will be listed at the top of the search  results. Of course, it'll still do the search too.

4. Do sums
Google has a powerful calculation engine built in. Try a simple sum like 4*25 and it'll spit out 100 almost immediately.

  That's not the clever part. Try 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Celsius, or  MMX in decimal and Google pulls the numbers and works it out. It's not  guaranteed, of course – often you'll just get search results.

A  few of the more advanced ones include the Faraday Constant, the mass of  Earth and handling distances in Astronomical Units. However, for more  powerful calculations of that sort, accessing many more databases, try Wolfram Alpha.

5. Ask direct questions
Simpler  searches will pop up immediately, which can be very handy. Why mess  around with time zones when you can just ask What is the time in San  Francisco?

You can also look up similar live details, including  the status of flights in the air, although to be on the safe side, it's  best to go to the airline company's own page for live lookups.

6. Search by location
Location-aware  search may still be limited, but you can get a head start by telling  Google where to look. Say, for instance, that you want fish and chips.

There's  no point simply typing fish and chips, unless you're interested in the  history or cooking details, but add your postcode on the end of the  search – in the case of our office, fish and chips ba12bw, and it'll  highlight the nearest places, give you phone numbers, show you a map and  even display some reviews.

7. Filter your results
Google  is often smarter than it appears, given a nudge. In Google Images, try a  word that could be misconstrued – a name such as Heather or Raven or  Cliff . Down the left-hand side, you'll see a dedicated option to only  show faces, stripping out any non-human entries.

The same panel  can also only show clip art, photos or line drawings, ignore colour or  monochrome as you prefer, and even focus solely on results meeting a  particular colour palette.

By default, Cliff mostly shows,  obviously, cliffs. Switch to faces, and it's Cliff Richard. Choose red,  and it's a DVD called Red Cliff .

8. Browse by subject
The  Wonder Wheel gives another way of browsing these options. It's also in  the left-hand sidebar, but this time it produces a chart.

The  original search provides the starting node, with paths jutting off in  all directions. Click these and you move from node to node, getting  further away from the original search, but hopefully in the right  direction.
This is great for when you're not sure what you want, or you just want to explore.

9. Log your searches
As  well as searches, Google can keep a log of the sites you've visited  using a feature called Web History – try it out by visiting www.google.com/history.

This  uses a toolbar to track your movements – not just on Google – bringing  up a timeline of your actions and searching your archives online. You  can also switch it to just monitor your searches.

Needless to  say, if you're worried about the privacy implications of this, or that  you might accidentally stumble onto the 'wrong' site, make sure you  leave this one alone.

10. Sort by time
The explosion of blogs, Twitter and live news reporting means that Google now factors time into its searches.

Many  searches will now display Twitter posts, videos and relevant news  stories, but to be even more specific, look in the left-hand column to  zero in by time.

This ranges from simply 'Latest' to 'Past 24  Hours', 'Past 2 Days' (good for factoring in time distances), or a  'Custom Range' for if you know when something happened. Simply typing a  year into the search box rarely works.

11. Use the cache
If  a site's down, it's not the end of the world. Google caches most of the  pages in its search collection, and you can access them by entering,  say, cache:pcplus.co.uk – although hopefully our site is up and running  perfectly smoothly while you read this!

 The cache tells you when the snapshot was taken, and gives you the option for a text-only view.

Importantly,  though, when you click on a link, it goes outside the cache. You'll  need to append the 'cache: tag' to each page in turn if you want to keep  browsing.

12. Search for specific files
Trying  to find a particular type of file? Google doesn't only look for HTML.  Type what you're looking for and then append the 'filetype:tag' on the  end. For instance, 'filetype:doc' will only bring up those types of  file. This search supports PDF, Office formats, Shockwave Flash and a  few more.

13. Optimise your search results
If  a search isn't producing the right results for you, there are ways in  which you can optimise it. In the left-hand sidebar, look for the option  that says 'Related Searches'.

At the top of the search, you'll find a stack of other searches that have taken people to the pages you're looking at.

Searching  for 'Inception', for instance, offers alternatives ranging from  'inception meaning' and 'inception 2010' to 'inception plot' and even  'christopher nolan'.

14. Personalise your search
The  more you use Google, the more it learns about you. By logging in, it  remembers what you've looked at and makes it easier to find things.
Of  course, you might not want that, in which case you can log out. You'll  also want to do this if you're ego-surfing or doing SEO work to make  sure you're getting the same Google rankings that anyone else would.

15. Search by Timeline
The  Timeline lets you zoom in on any time range and see news pulled from  assorted sources, including books in Google Books, newspaper reports and  web pages.


Searching  for the Anglo-French Wars, for instance, brings up a timeline that runs  from 1600-2010, stepping down into individual years, then months. This  is a great way to track the progress of a story back through time.

16. Customise your search
The  Google sidebar offers a number of useful customisation options,  including stripping out shopping sites if you just want information, or  vice versa if you're in the mood to buy. You can also prioritise sites  you've visited, sites you've yet to see and much more.

17. See more results
It's said that most people only look at the first few results, but if you want more, you can crank up the number. Simply visit the preferences page and you can alter this so it displays up to 100 results, although this will obviously slow down the search.

 18. Search safely
Everyone  knows you can activate SafeSearch to cut out most of the nasty content  online, but if you want to be a little safe, 'Search Preferences' also  lets you lock SafeSearch on any PC. It only applies to the browser  you're currently using, and you'll need a Google Account to do it.

19. Search by extension
It's  amazing what you can find if you know what file extensions to look for.  Feeling nosey? Do a search for inurl:view/view.shtml and you'll get  nothing but webcam views from around the world. Think of it as oneway  chat roulette.

20. Monitor social media
Not  a Twitter or Facebook user, but want to see the latest stories being  passed around? Google now acts as a targeted firehouse for update  content. Do a search, then click on the 'Updates' option in the sidebar.  Any new results are automatically displayed.

21. Follow trends
Even if you only run a simple blog or fan page, it's worth spending some time thinking about SEO. Google Trends lets you see what people are looking for around the world, revealing the most sought-after stories.

22. Look for title content
Google  isn't restricted to searching page text. If you really want to be  precise, look for content in the title via 'intitle: tag'. This can be  used in a few other ways, such as looking for directories on an FTP  server by searching for site:myftp. gov intitle:index of.

23. Add Google to your site
If you love Google, you can integrate searches into your own pages. Access the Custom Search Engine beta at www.google.com/cse. You can add sites and pages to its archive, and add the boxes wherever you like. It's $100 for an ad-free version.

24. Get advanced
If you're having difficulty forming a search, try the Advanced Search option at www.google. com/advanced_search.  There are no tags or Boolean complications, but most of the same  abilities in a very easy sheet. Click the option at the bottom for even  more tips.

25. Get extra detail
Not  getting enough information from Google's site descriptions? In the  sidebar, look for the option 'Page previews'. This gives you shots of  the sites you might be about to visit, as well as extending the site  descriptions of the first couple of entries.