Google Search is one of the world’s most popular tools. So much so that utilizing Google Search has become its own verb. You can “Google” almost anything. Don’t know what Gobbledygook means? Google it. Don’t know of a good Thai restaurant near you? Google it.
We’re sure you guys are pretty much familiar with the search engine by now. But, are you using it in the best way possible? Perhaps not! Here are some tricks for better Google searching techniques that will have you using Google like a boss. We’ll be going through some simple symbols you can add to your search to make it more efficient for you.
1. Social stalking
For searches related to social networks and people, use “#” before the word you’re searching up. You’ll get a glimpse of the top stories related to the person you’re searching up. Doing so also allows you to search for hashtags in Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels.
Relatedly, using “@” before a person’s name will find you the social accounts associated with the person.
2. Exclude a term
Looking for a recipe for juice that does not contain apples? Using hyphens in a search instructs Google to omit that term from the search.
In the example above, type “juice recipe -apple” and Google will return with a slew of apple-free recipes. Yum.
3. Search up a range
Looking for an OLED TV that’s between 32 and 55 inches? You may instruct Google to search inside a certain numerical range, such as dates, prices, or measures. When you use two periods – .. – between two numbers. Google searches inside that number range and ignores other results.
You can use this technique to look for TVs that cost between a specific budget too, like in the example above.
4. Specify a file type
You can get Google to search for a specific file type to your query. For example, if you’re looking to improve your sleep, you could be looking for guides to sleeping on Google. If you want to look for a PDF version of the said guide, enter “filetype:pdf guide to sleeping” on the search bar and Google will return with related PDF guides!
5. When you know exactly what to search for
If you have a specific quote in mind that you want to search for, use quotation marks and webpages with the exact words in the same order will show up. This is particularly useful for things like song lyrics or for you to find out who said which iconic TV line from your favourite show.
6. When you don’t know what to search for
Sometimes you just can’t think of a word to look for in a sentence. If that’s the case, replace the term with an asterisk “*”, and Google Search will try to complete your sentence and figure it out for you. This is excellent for general purposes, but it’s simply incredible when attempting to find music lyrics.
For example, just the other day, I couldn’t remember the title of song that used to be popular in the 2000s. All I could remember was that it’s called Hey There (girl’s name). I searched “Hey there *” and guess what? The girl’s name? Delilah!
7. Searching within a specific site
Sometimes you want to look for specific information within a single website. Instead of having to sprawl the entire web for it, use “:” to search only the website you specify when searching for a term.
For example, if you’re looking for a headphone review on our website, type “headphone review site:thetechrevolutionist.com” into the search bar and you’ll be greeted with all our headphone reviews.
Using Google search #likeaboss
There you have it – 7 tips and tricks for you to use Google search like a boss. We hope you took away something from today’s guide. If we missed out on any tip or trick you’d like to be featured, let us know in the comments!
