GOOGLE SEARCH TIPS

1. Use quotes to search for an exact phrase

This ones a well-known, simple trick: searching a phrase in quotes will yield only pages
with the same words in the same order as whats in the quotes. Its one of the most vital
search tips, especially useful if youre trying to find results containing a specific a phrase.
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2. Use an asterisk within quotes to specify unknown or variable words
Heres a lesser known trick: searching a phrase in quotes with an asterisk replacing a word
will search all variations of that phrase. Its helpful if youre trying to determine a song from
its lyrics, but you couldnt make out the entire phrase (e.g. imagine all the * living for
today), or if youre trying to find all forms of an expression (e.g. * is thicker than water).
3. Use the minus sign to eliminate results containing certain words
Youll want to eliminate results with certain words if youre trying to search for a term thats
generating a lot of results that arent of interest to you. Figure out what terms youre not
interested in (e.g. jaguar -car) and re-run the search.
4. Search websites for keywords
Think of the site: function as a Google search that searches only a particular website. If
you want to see every time TIME.com mentioned Google, use the search Google
site:TIME.com.
5. Search news archives going back to the mid-1880s
Google News has an option to search over 100 years worth of archived news from
newspapers around the world.
6. Compare foods using vs
Cant decide between a burger or pizza for dinner? Type in rice vs. quinoa, for example,
and youll receive side-by-side comparisons of the nutritional facts.

COURTESY OF GOOGLE

7. Filter search results for recipes

If you search your favorite food, and then click Search Tools right under the search bar,
youll be able to filter recipes based on ingredients, cook time and calories. Its the perfect
tool if you have certain dietary restrictions.
8. Use DEFINE: to learn the meaning of wordsslang included
Streamline the dictionary process by using, for example, DEFINE: mortgage. For words
that appear in the dictionary, youll be able to see etymology and a graph of its use over
time alongside the definition. Google will even sift the web to define slang words or
acronyms. Try out DEFINE: bae or DEFINE: SMH.
9. Tilt your screen by searching tilt
This is one of the fun additions built in by Google engineers. Try it out yourself (search
without quotes).
10. Play Atari Breakout by searching it on Google Images
The legendary brick breaker game is available for easy access on Google. Just search
Atari Breakout (without quotes) on Google Images and enjoy.

11. Search images using images

Ever come across a photo that looks strangely familiar? Or if you want to know where it
came from? If you save the image, and then search it on Google Images (with the camera
button), youll be able to see similar images on the web.
TIME.com: 10 Tech Resolutions to Consider in the New Year
12. Press the mic icon on Googles search bar, and say flip a coin or heads or
tails
The feature released last month lets Google flip a coin for you when you dont have one on
hand.

COURTESY OF GOOGLE
13. Press the mic icon on Googles search bar, and say give me a love quote or I
love you
The love quote generator is also a feature released last month for those in need of a little
romance.
THINK YOU KNOW HOW TO GOOGLE? HERE ARE 36 SEARCH TIPS YOU PROBABLY
DONT KNOW ABOUT
By Brandon Widder November 9, 2014 3:00 AM
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Google is kind of a big deal, to say the least. The tech giant has blossomed over
the course of the past decade, quickly becoming part of the global lexicon, and

establishing itself as an official verb in the dictionary. Although the company

wears many hats, its most valuable asset has always been its phenomenal
search engine.
Related: Our guide to using Google Drive
Unfortunately, Google isnt one to automatically recognize punctuation and
grammar within search queries. However, the symbols and punctuation listed
below are exceptions to the rules, ones that allow you to better refine your
search results when used in conjunction with your desired search terms. Just
dont add any spaces between the symbol and your search phrases. Otherwise,
Google will ignore your commands.

Punctuation symbols that help refine your search

Function

Execution

To search for an exact phrase, with

the same words in the same order

Place quotation marks () around the

phrase youd like to search for Ex: to
be, or not to be

To exclude results that include a

particular word or site when
searching words with multiple
meanings

Place a dash (-) before the word or

site you want to omit Ex: phoenix
-arizona

To search for Google+ pages or

blood types

Place an addition sign (+) in front of

the Google+ user or after the blood
type Ex: +Chrome and AB+

To search for social tags

Place the at symbol (@) before the

social tag youd like to search Ex:
@digitaltrends

To search for prices

Place a dollar sign ($) before the

value Ex: canon $400

To search for a phrase with

missing words

Place an asterisk (*) within the search

as a placeholder for any unknown
terms Ex: if you give a * a *

To search for a range of numbers,

usually pertaining to prices and
measurements

Place two periods between the

designated numbers you want to
search between Ex: $75..$200

To search popular hashtags for

Place a hashtag in front of the desired

Function

Execution

trending topics

topicEx: #throwbackthursday

Search operators that help refine your hunt

Punctuation and symbols really only get you so far with Google. Search
operators, which are additionally available within the Google Advanced Search
page, allow you to greatly narrow your search results based on a variety of
individual factors when you pair them with your desired search terms.
Related: Google Drive tips and tricks
Also, omit the spaces as you would with symbols.
Function

Execution

To search for results from

certain sites and domains

Place site: in front of the site or domain

from which you want to pull results Ex:
apple watch site:digitaltrends.com

To search for pages that link

to a certain page

Place link: in front of the site or domain

you want to find pages linking to Ex:
link:digitaltrends.com

To search for sites that are

similar to a designated site or
domain

Place related: in front of the site or

domain you want to find similar results of
Ex: related:digitaltrends.com

To search for pages that just

have one of several words

Place OR between the two words you

are searching for Ex: world series 2013
OR 2014

To search for designated

information about a specific
site or domain, including
cached pages, and those
linking to the site

Place info: in front of the site or domain

you want information about Ex:
info:digitaltrends.com

To search what a page looked

like the last time Google
crawled the site

Place cache: in front of the page

housing the cache youd like to view Ex:
cache:digitaltrends.com

To search for a specific file

type

Place filetype: in front of the specific file

type youre looking for Ex: matthew

Function

Execution
mcconaughey filetype:gif

Other helpful tips and tricks

There are a handful of other useful Google search functions that dont fall under
either of the above categories. Google built the engine with several useful tools
that allow you to look up information without have to navigate to other sites. For
instance, you can instantly check the weather for a city, or look up the definition
of miasma, among a bevy of other actions. You can even utilize the
microphone on your desktop or mobile device to search Google using your own
voice, or find the Bacon Number of your favorite celebrity (were betting its
two).
Function

Execution

To search Google using voice

commands

Click the microphone icon in the search

bar and begin talking

To search Google for a specific

image

Click the camera icon in the search bar

and paste the image URL

To set a timer

Enter set timer for followed by the

desired amount of time

To check the weather for a

specific area

Enter weather followed by a zipcode or

city

To search for the sunrise and

sunset times for a specific area

Enter sunrise or sunset followed by a

zipcode or city

To look up the definition for a

given word

Enter define followed by your desired

term

To look up the origins for a

given word

Enter etymology followed by your

desired word

To look up the time for a

specific region

Enter time followed by the particular

region

To look up your IP address

Enter ip address in the search bar

To check the status of a flight

Enter the flight number in the search bar

To look up stock quotes

Enter the desired stock symbol in the

Function

Execution
search bar

To look up the date for a

specific holiday

Enter the name of the holiday in the

search bar

To track a package

Enter the tracking number in the search

bar

To use the calculator

Enter the equation in the search bar

To define a word

Enter define followed by your desired

word

To convert currency or
measurements

Enter the first amount and unit, type

to, and then enter the second unit

To look up film showings

Enter movies followed by your zipcode

or city

To look up sports scores

Enter the sports team in the search bar

To look up nutritional facts

about an item, or compare
nutritional facts

Enter the name of the product, or enter

compare followed by the items you
want to compare

To look up a celebritys Bacon

Number

Enter bacon number followed by the

name of the celebrity

To roll a six-sided die

Enter [roll a dice] in the search bar

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