Googling is a Skill

Google is the most-used search engine on the web. Millions of people use it daily to search anything and everything under the sun, from work related information to simply checking out the latest Hollywood buzz.

We all know about Google’s wide searching capabilities but are we able to optimize this powerful tool? No one needs to be told on how to use it but instead of just typing in a phrase and wading through page after page of results, there are a number of ways to make your searches more efficient. So here’s a list of tips to help you refine and improve your search:

1. Explicit Phrase:

Let’s say you are looking for content about internet marketing. Instead of just typing internet marketing into the Google search box, you will likely be better off searching explicitly for the phrase. To do this, simply enclose the search phrase within double quotes.

Example Search: "internet marketing"

2. Exclude Words:

Let’s say you want to search for content about internet marketing, but you want to exclude any results that contain the term advertising. To do this, simply use the "-" sign in front of the word you want to exclude.

Example Search: internet marketing - advertising

3. Site Specific Search:

Often, you want to search a specific website for content that matches a certain phrase. Even if the site doesn’t support a built-in search feature, you can use Google to search the site for your term. Simply use the "site: somesite.com" modifier.

Example Search: "internet marketing" site: www.smallbusinesshub.com

4. Similar Words and Synonyms:

Let’s say you are want to include a word in your search, but want to include results that contain similar words or synonyms. To do this, use the "~" in front of the word.

Example Search: "internet marketing" ~ professional

5. Specific Document Types:

If you’re looking to find results that are of a specific type, you can use the modifier "filetype:". For example, you might want to find only PowerPoint presentations related to internet marketing.

Example Search: "internet marketing" filetype: ppt

6. This OR That:

By default, when you do a search, Google will include all the terms specified in the search. If you are looking for any one of one or more terms to match, then you can use the OR operator. (Note: The OR has to be capitalized)

Example Search: internet marketing OR advertising

7. Phone Listing:

Let’s say someone calls you on your mobile number and you don’t know how it is. If all you have is a phone number, you can look it up on Google using the phonebook feature.

Example Search: phonebook: 617-555-1212(Note: the provided number does not work – you’ll have to use a real number to get any results).

8. Area Code Lookup:

If all you need to do is to look-up the area code for a phone number, just enter the 3-digit area code and Google will tell you where it’s from.

Example Search: 617

9. Numeric Ranges:

This is a rarely used, but highly useful tip. Let’s say you want to find results that contain any of a range of numbers. You can do this by using the X..Y modifier (in case this is hard to read, what’s between the X and Y are two periods. This type of search is useful for years (as shown below), prices or anywhere where you want to provide a series of numbers.

Example Search: president 1940...1950

10. Calculator:

The next time you need to do a quick calculation, instead of bringing up the Calculator applet, you can just type your expression in to Google.

Example: 48512 * 1.02

11. Word Definitions:
If you need to quickly look up the definition of a word or phrase, simply use the "define:" command.

Example Search: define: plethora
So keep these tips handy and use them on your next Google search.

Happy Googling!


Words by Irene Manansala