Google is the most popular search engine on the Web, but
most people don’t realize how much more powerful they can make their
Google searches with just a few simple tweaks.
1. Google Phrase Search
If
you want Google to return your search as a complete phrase, in the
exact order and proximity that you typed it in as, then you’ll need to
surround it with quotes; i.e., “three blind mice.” Otherwise, Google
will just locate these words either separately OR together.
If you are looking for a specific phrase, just typing it into a search engine
will probably not get you the results you were hoping for. Search engines might
bring back pages that have all the words you entered, but those words
most likely will not be in the order you intended or even anywhere near each other.
For instance, say you had a very
specific search query in mind such as:
Nobel Prize Winners 1987
Your results could bring back pages that have Nobel Prize, winners of prizes,
1987 winners of prizes, 1,987 winners of prizes..and the list goes on. Probably
not what you were hoping for, to say the least.
However, using quotation marks around your phrases takes care of this problem. When you use quotation marks around a phrase, you
are telling the search engine to only bring back pages that include these search terms
exactly how you typed them in-order, proximity, etc. For example:
“Nobel Prize Winners 1987”
Your search results now will only bring back pages that have all these words
in the exact order that you typed them in. This little trick saves a lot of time
and frustration.
2. Google Negative Search
Use
the “-” symbol when you want Google to find pages that have one search
word on them, but you need it to exclude other words commonly associated
with that search word.
There are a few basic principles that you can successfully use in
nearly all the search engines out there to find
exactly what it is that you are looking for, and one of the most basic
techniques is using the add and subtract symbols in your Web search
string.
Basic Math Can Help With Your Web Search
Basic math can really help you in your Web search quest. Here’s how it works:
- The minus symbol:
Use the “-” symbol when you want
a search engine to find pages that have one search word on them, but you need the search engine to exclude
other words commonly associated with that search word. For example:
- Superman -Krypton
You are telling the search engines that you would like to find pages
that only
have the words “Superman”, but exclude the listings that include
information about
“Krypton”. This is a fast and easy way to eliminate extra
information and narrow your search down; plus you can do a string of
excluded words, like this: superman -krypton -“lex luthor”.
- The plus symbol:
Now that you know how to eliminate search terms, here’s how you can add
them
in, using the “+” symbol. For example, if you have terms that must be
returned in all your search results, you can place the plus symbol in
front of the terms that you need included, such as:
- football+nfl
Your search results would now have both these terms included.
Search Engine Math – Just Part of a Web Search Strategy
Using the plus and minus symbols is just a small part of a successful Web search strategy. Be as specific as humanly possible.
Search engines are not intuitive and will
not be able to figure out that when you type in “jewelry”, you actually
are
looking for “handmade freshwater pearl watches”. Don’t be timid about
telling a
search engine specifically what it is that you are looking for, and
using different techniques (in different ways) to get better results.
3. Google Order of Search
The order in which
you type your search query actually does have an effect on your search
results. For example, if you are looking for a great waffle recipe,
you’ll want to type in “waffle recipe” rather than “recipe waffle”. It
does make a difference.
4. Google Forced Search
Google
automatically excludes common words like “where”, “how”, “and”, etc.
because it tends to slow down your search. However, if you’re looking
for something that actually needs those words included, you can “force”
Google to include them by using our old friend the addition sign, i.e.,
Spiderman +3, or, you could use quotation marks: “Spiderman 3”.
5. Google Site Search
This
is one of my most common Google searches. You can use Google to
actually search within a site for content; for example, say you want to
look inside of About Web Search for everything on “free movie
downloads.” Here’s how you would frame your search at Google:
site:websearch.about.com “free movie downloads”
Did you know that you can use Google to search within a site? Here’s the command:
site:URL “keyphrase”
For example, if you wanted to search About Web Search for the word Google, this is what it would look like:
site:websearch.about.com “google”
6. Google Number Range Search
This is one of
those “wow, I can do that?” kind of Google searches. Here’s how it
works: just add two numbers, separated by two periods, with no spaces,
into the search box along with your search terms. You can use this
number range search to set ranges for everything from dates (Willie Mays
1950..1960) to weights (5000..10000 kg truck). However, be sure to
specify a unit of measurement or some other indicator of what your
number range represents.
Okay, so here’s one that you could try:
nintendo wii $100..$300
You’re
asking Google to find all the Nintendo Wii’s within the price range of
$100 to $300 here. Now, you can use pretty much any kind of numerical
combination; the trick is the two periods in between the two numbers.
7. Google Define
Ever
come across a word on the Web that you don’t know? Instead of reaching
for that bulky dictionary, just type define (you can also use
definition) word (insert your own word) and Google will come back with a
host of definitions. I use this one all the time not only for
definitions (mostly tech-related), but I’ve also found it’s a great way
to find detailed articles that can explain not only the word you’re
looking for, but the context in which it most commonly occurs. For
instance, the buzz phrase “Web 2.0” using the Google syntax of define
web 2.0 returns with some really interesting and practical stuff.
8. Google Calculator
Anything
that helps with math-related stuff gets a vote in my book. Not only can
you use Google to solve simple math problems, you can also use it to
convert measurements. Here are a few examples of this; you can simply
type these right into the Google search box:
- Half a quart in tablespoons
- 5 miles to kilometers
- sqrt(8912)
And so on. Google can also do much more complex problems and
conversions; you can find out how to build your queries so Google knows
what to do with them at the official Google Calculator help page,
.
9. Google Phonebook
Google
has a gigantic phonebook directory, as well they should – their index
is one of the largest, if not THE largest, on the Web. Here’s how you
can use Google’s phonebook to find a phone number or address (United
States only at the time of this writing):
- first name (or first initial), last name, city (state is optional)
- first name (or first initial), last name, state
- first name (or first initial), last name, area code
- first name (or first initial), last name, zip code
- phone number, including area code
- last name, city, state
- last
name, zip code Don’t want your information in the Google phonebook?
You’ll want to visit this page: Google Phonebook Name Removal
).
Phone numbers historically have been found by flipping open a large
phone book, figuring out what listing that number could possibly be
under, and writing the number down on a piece of paper that is promptly
lost. However, with the advent of very convenient Web search technology,
this process has been streamlined to the extreme. Google is an
incredibly useful resource for tracking down all sorts of different
phone numbers: personal, business, non-profits, universities, and
government organizations. In this article, we’ll go through some of the
more obvious ways we can use Google to find phone numbers, to a few of
the more advanced (and maybe a bit obscure) ways that listings can be
located.
Personal phone numbers
Although Google has discontinued their official phonebook search
feature, you can still use it to find phone numbers, albeit with a
little more legwork (and somewhat limited success, to be honest). Here’s
how you can do that:
- full name plus zip code: Type in the person’s full name plus their zip code, and Google will return relevant contact information, including a map.
- A simple Web search: If the person has ever inputted
their phone number onto the Web, a simple search for that person’s name
can sometimes turn it up. Type their name in quotes into Google’s search
field and see what comes back.
Business phone numbers
Google is fantastic for tracking down business phone numbers. You can accomplish this in a number of ways, including:
- type of business plus zipcode: Perhaps you don’t know the
name of the business you’re looking for, but you have something in mind.
Type in the business genre, for example, “pizza restaurant”, then the
zip code. Google will return local listings that include maps, reviews,
and contact information (phone numbers, addresses, website URLs, even
email addresses if available). - type of business plus city: Just like in the previous example, except you can substitute the name of a city for a zip code, i.e., “seattle doctors”.
Search within a specific website for a contact number
Sometimes, we know a phone number exists for a company, website, or
organization – it’s just that we can’t find it and it doesn’t come up
easily in a rudimentary Web search. There’s an easy way to solve this
problem:
site:www.site.com “contact us”
Basically, you’re using Google to search within a website for the
“Contact Us” page, which typically has the most relevant phone numbers
listed. You could also try “Help”, “Support”, or any combination of
these three.
Filter your search results
Usually when most people use Google, they’re seeing all the results
from all of Google’s search properties in one convenient place. However,
if you filter these results, you potentially end up seeing quite a few
different results than you might have otherwise. Try searching for a
phone number in the following services:
- Images
- Books
- News
- Maps
- Calendar
- Talk
- Groups
Specialized search
In addition to general Web search, Google offers specialized search
properties that focus in on specific segments of online content. You can
use these search engines to find phone numbers and personal information
you might not have otherwise.
- Blog Search:
Search by name, phone number, or, if you know a username or nickname
that the person you’re looking for goes by, try that too. - Scholar:
This search site takes a little bit of getting used to, but if the
phone number you’re looking for is related to a scholarly or
research-based topic in some way, this could be a useful option.
Search by domain
Searching by domain – limiting your Web search to top level domains
– can be attempted when all else fails, especially when you’re looking
for an educational or government-related phone number. For example, say
you’re looking for a contact page for the Library of Congress:
site:.gov library of congress “contact us”
You’ve limited your search to only a “.gov” domain, you’re looking
for the Library of Congress, and you’re looking for the words “contact
us” in immediate proximity to each other. The very first result that
Google returns is a contact page for the LoC.
Reverse Lookup with Google
As of November 2010, Google no longer supports the phonebook search operator (see Reverse Phone Number Lookup
for more information). However, not all hope is lost – you can still
certainly use Google to find a phone number, several different ways.
A reverse phone lookup with Google can be done, but only if
the number is A)not a cell phone number and B) is listed in a public
directory. Type in the number you’re looking for with hyphens, i.e.,
555-555-1212, and Google will return a list of sites that have that
number listed.
10. Google Spell Checker
For some strange reason, I have never
been able to spell certain words without a spell check – and since we
don’t always work within a medium that offers an automatic spell check
on the Web (blogs, message boards, etc.), it’s so nice to have a
built-in Google spell checker. Here’s how it works: you just type in the
word you’re struggling with into Google’s search box, and Google will
very politely come back with this phrase: “Did you mean…(correct
spelling)?” This is probably one of the most useful Google inventions
ever.