11 Top-Secret Google Searching Tips and Tricks
February 11th, 2013
If you’ve ever seen me perusing Google in my office at funeralOne, you’d probably notice that I have about 500 web pages open and I tend to click through them faster than your eyes can keep up with. Almost every time someone witnesses that, their first question is usually something along the lines of “how the heck do you find answers so fast?!”.
Well, today I’m here to tell you that the credit doesn’t go to me… it goes to my (online) best friend, Google.
As someone who does about a million searches on Google everyday, the last thing I want to do is dig through pages and pages of search results until I find what I’m looking for. That’s when I discovered Google Search Tips and Tricks.
Here are 14 Google searching tricks that I have in my little “bag-o-tricks”. They aren’t exactly top-secret, but if you incorporate these methods, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a Google searching expert (heck, I might even challenge you to a Google searching contest!)
1) Keep it simple!
Choose words that are unique, descriptive and have a high likelihood of appearing on the webpage you want to find. For example, instead of using a term like “flower shop,” use “florist in Houston.” Enter words that have a specific meaning and are commonly used by most people when conducting a search. The more descriptive you are, the more likely you are to get relevant results.
2) Use exact words and phrases
To find results containing an exact phrase, type in “[any phrase]”. For example, if I wanted to find the last blog I wrote for funeralOne but I forgot the title, I could simply enter one phrase I know exists in that blog. And *voila*, there it is.
Just keep in mind that this query type only returns web pages that contain the enclosed search term in quotation marks. For example if you enter the “funeral profession,” you’ll only get web pages that have the word “funeral” followed by the word “profession”.
3) Search within a specific website
If you’re looking for something on a specific website, precede your search query with [search query] site:websitename.com. For example, if I wanted to find a social media article on our blog, I’d type social media site:blog.funeralone.com.
4) Find a related page
I’ll be the first to admit that I never cook, but when I do, I like to make it count! In order to find the perfect recipe, I’ll often find one, then look for similar recipes to find the absolute best. To do this, you can search related:[website URL]. By using this search trick, I found the best chicken pot pie recipe ever!
5) Include or exclude words in your search
If you are trying to find information about a particular subject, type in your search query with a “-” to exclude a word or “+” to include a word. For example, if I wanted a picture of an animal for my computer background but I didn’t want a dog, I could type in animal -dog.
6) Find exact numbers
You can enter a search operator to specify a number range like an exact price, year, time, fact, etc. In order to do this, put a “..” between the numbers. For example, I was looking to purchase another iPhone recently and did the following search: apple iPhone $100..$400.
7) Make quick calculations
When you need to calculate something, use Google instead of using your own dusty calculator or opening an application. Simply enter in any math equation and Google will find the answer for you! For complicated expressions, enclose the numbers in brackets ().
8) Check your facts
Looking for some specific answers to specific questions? Use an asterisk (*) as a wildcard. This Google searching tricks allow you to use the asterisk to match any missing word in a phrase. Example: Microsoft was founded by *.
9) Define words quickly and easily
To quickly find out the definition of a word, enter the following. Example: define:”word”
10) Search with images
This is my #2 favorite Google searching trick, and one of the least known. Did you know that by simply dragging any web image into the Google Image Search bar, you can find similar images, different sizes of that same image, or the website location of an image? This tool is awesome!
For example, I dragged an image of myself into Google Image Search, and it suggested a search term and it showed me where I can find other sizes of this image!
11) My biggest trick in the book
My last trick in the book is the #1 reason why Google is, in fact, my best friend. When you’re searching Google, click on the “more” link on the Google menu bar and suddenly you have 14 different search filters at your finger tips.
Use these filters to quickly find:
– Current Weather
– Stock quotes
– Time
– Sports scores
– Book search
– Public data
– Translations
– Movie showtimes
– Flight tracking/schedules
– Currency conversions
– Maps
– Package tracking
You can learn more about Google’s search features here.
Now that you know all of my Google searching tricks, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a Google expert! Try using these tips next time you’re on Google to supercharge your research efforts!
Do you have any Google search tips you’d like to share? Leave them in the comments below!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Joe Joachim is the CEO and Founder of funeralOne, the first global solutions firm leading a movement of change for the funeral profession. For the past 10 years, he’s developed game-changing solutions that help funeral professionals increase the value of their service offerings, connect with the families of today, and become more profitable. funeralOne’s solutions include: website design, aftercare, funeral eCommerce, and personalization software.
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