Helpful Hints: Google Search - Advanced Tips and Tricks
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Want to get the best out of your Google search? Try these tips to enhance your results, and get to what you are looking for quickly:
The Basics:
Here are some basic search tips to get to grips with initially
clean computer
Typing this into the Google Search box will return results with pages with the words clean and computer in the pages, title, or anchor text. However, the words may not be near each other.
"clean computer"
Typing this into the Google Search box will return results with pages with the words clean and computer in the pages, title or anchor text. The words must be next to each other and in the order in which they appear in the quotation marks. This is known as an exact phrase match.
clean or computer
Typing this into the Google Search box will return results with pages with the words clean or computer in the pages, title or anchor text.
clean -computer
Typing this into the Google Search box will return results with pages with the word clean in the pages, title or anchor text. However, the page, title and anchor text must NOT have the word computer in them. To use this search correctly, it is important that the minus sign is next to the word that is to be omitted, without a space.
clean ~computer
Typing this into the Google Search box will return results with pages with the word clean in the pages, title or anchor text. It will also return results with words synonymous with the word computer in this case, or whatever word you place the ~ (tilde) symbol next to.
define: clean
This search query will give you definitions for the word clean and provide links to pages with definitions.
Compound Searches
Using logical operators like and and or, complex searches can be created. If you want to get really complicated, you can combine operators using parenthesis. These complex searches can also be combined with ” and - as well.
clean (PC OR computer)
Finds pages with the words clean on them, in the title, or used in the anchor text to link the page. The words computer or PC must be on the page, in the title or in the anchor text used to link to the page.
clean (PC AND computer)
Finds pages with the word clean on them, in the title, or used in the anchor text to link the page. The words computer and PC must be on the page, in the title or in the anchor text used to link to the page.
clean (PC AND computer) -software
Finds pages with the word clean on them, in the title, or used in the anchor text to link the page. The words computer and PC must be on the page, in the title or in the anchor text used to link to the page. The word software must not be on the page, in the title or in the anchor text used to link to the page.
Search Modifiers
Google has a series of search modifiers that allow you to perform very specific searches, these include inanchor, intext, intitle, and inurl. In addition you can also add the word all in front of each term to include all of the words in the phrase. These modifiers can also be combined with the “ , ], and logical operators and be used to create complex queries.
inanchor: computer clean
Returns pages where the words computer is used by other pages or websites to link to the page, and have the word clean on the page, in the title, or in the anchor text used to link to the page.
allinanchor: computer clean
Returns pages where the words computer and clean are used by other pages or websites to link to the page.
intitle: computer clean
Returns pages where the word computer is used in the title, and the word clean is on the page, in the title, or in the anchor text used to link to the page.
allintitle: computer clean
Returns pages with the words computer and clean are in the title.
inurl: computer clean
Returns pages where the word computer is used in the URL, and the word clean is on the page, in the title, or in the anchor text used to link to the page.
allinurl: computer clean
Returns pages with the words computer and clean are in the URL.
Restrictive Searches
Google also has restrictive searches that allow you to limit the sites or information that you are searching for.
windows site: computervaleting.co.uk
Will return only documents from the site computervaleting.co.uk with the word commercial on the page, in the title or in the anchor text that links to the page.
intitle: windows site: computervaleting.co.uk
Will return only documents from the site computervaleting.co.uk with the word windows in the title.
PS3 £200..£300
Will return pages with the word PS3 on the page, in the title, or anchor text linking to the page, and with GBP amounts between £200 and £300 on the page, in the title, or in the anchor text linking to the web page.
marketing filetype:pdf
Will return only PDF files with the word marketing on the document, in the title or in the anchor text to the document. File types can be any of the following: Adobe Portable Document Format (pdf), Adobe PostScript (ps), Lotus 1-2-3 (wk1, wk2, wk3, wk4, wk5, wki, wks, wku), Lotus WordPro (lwp), MacWrite (mw), Microsoft Excel (xls), Microsoft PowerPoint (ppt), Microsoft Word (doc), Microsoft Works (wks, wps, wdb), Microsoft Write (wri), Rich Text Format (rtf), Shockwave Flash (swf), Text (ans, txt).
link: random-website.com
Provides a completely random sampling of some sites that link to random-website.com. There is no logic or reason to the sites displayed or the order they are displayed in. Many sites that link to you will not be displayed. This search is considered “broken”.
info:random-website.com
Provides links to information and searches about the website random-website.com.
cache:random-website.com
Displays a copy of the page stored on Google’s server. This may vary from the actual page on the website.
We hope you find these suggestions helpful – why don’t you try them out now?