Use Google Drawing in Presentation

November 30, 2021

12 Useful Google Search Tips

Have a question? Use Google and you'll find the answer to just about anything. The trick is to be efficient in your search and selective about your sources. Keep this list of 12 effective Google search tips handy so that you can have better and more relevant results.

Searching Exact Phrases

Random search terms lead to random results. Here are tips to create concise search terms:

Quotes: Find information on an exact phrase or term by putting quotation marks around your phrase in the search box.
Multiple words: Focus your search with multiple terms or words. You can type in the word "or" to do this. For example, search the phrases "Best ways to write a resume OR How to write a resume" in order to concisely cover all bases.
Titles: Find sites you need with qualifiers (remember the colon). For example, type "electric cars intitle: new models." Or, search URLs by swapping out "intitle:" for "inurl:" or "allinurl:" for helpful sites. Search for websites with answers in the text with these qualifiers: "intext:" or "allintext:" You'll get succinct results.

Searching by Eliminating Words

For a concise search, type in a term, phrase or question with words that you don't want the search engine to find. Use a minus symbol or a hyphen to sharpen searches. For example, for information about Jaguars, but not the car or football, type in "Jaguars -cars." Or, do a triple elimination by typing in "Jaguars -cars -sports -football."

Searching Images

There are two tips to keep on hand for Google image searches:

Find an image: Use the same search parameters for text and images. Click on the "Images" tab right below the search bar for images relating to your search, or type into the browser bar "https://images.google.com/" to search from there.
Find information about an image: Google recognizes uploaded images and offers sites with related information. Click the camera icon on the Google search bar for prompts, or drag and drop images into the search bar.

General Searching Tips

If you're happy with using a basic Google search, there are a couple of tricks to keep your results tight:

Adding search words: Plug in a simple phrase in the search bar and add as you go. As an example, start with "resumes," then add "examples of resumes," and on the third try, type in "examples of chronological resumes."
Use critical words: Google matches your query with keywords online. Use important words and words that are used in websites for refined results.

Google Search Commands

There are little-known Google search commands. Here's a list of four commands to keep within reach:

PDFs: Search for PDFs by typing your search term plus "filetype:pdf." For example, if you're looking for information about how to coupon, simply type in "coupons filetype:pdf" and you'll find relevant PDFs.
Weather: There's no need for an app, simply type "weather" plus your zip code.
Definitions: For a quick lookup, type "define" plus the word you want to look up.
Time: To find out the time anywhere in the world, type "time" followed by wherever you want to know the exact time.

Commands reduce your search into one click.

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