Aamer Khan

How to Use Google Search Like a Pro! NOVEMBER,2019 OUTLINE • • • • • • • • • • • • Introduction: What is the Purpose of this Article? Why is Learning the Efficient Use of Google Search Worth it? How to Get Better Results from Google Search? Pre-Search Tips Techniques to Improve Google Search Results o Basic Tips o Use of Search Modifiers o Using Site-Specific Search Modifiers o Search Part(s) of a Webpage Other Features of Google Search o Calculator, Converter, ..., Built-in Games and Tools, etc. Other Functions Available in Google Search o Create Alerts o Save Images in Google Search for Later o Filter Explicit Content (Parental Control) Advanced Search – Customize Your Search Latest Search Innovations in Use o Reverse Image Search o Google Voice Search (OK Google & Google Assistant) o Google Lens Visual Search o Live View Augmented Reality (AR) Google Maps Search o Earth VR (Virtual Reality) Search o AR (Augmented Reality) Search Other Google Search Related Products Alternate Search Suggestions Closing Remarks Introduction: What is the Purpose of this Article? Have you ever searched for something on Google and didn't get the result that you were expecting? If so, then there are a few tips for you to improve your search results. Why is Learning the Efficient Use of Google Search Worth it? Many internet users often come across specific information that requires unique search queries. They try different phrases to get the desired result. But Google usually has no relevant material on the front page of search results. It is usually because their query is not specific enough to lead them to the webpage containing that information. Users usually assume that the information they were looking for is not available on Google. They were, in fact, looking at the wrong place with the wrong tools. Google has a database of billions of pages on the internet. Every page contains different information. Google's search algorithms decide the ranking of these pages. Google considers more than 200 factors for that and serves the result to the user. This process gives the most relevant results to the user. But if the user's query is vague, Google will not be able to provide the best possible result. Therefore, to maximize the benefit of Google, users need to know how to improve their search results. After learning the efficient use of Google Search: Researchers can access publications, journals, thesis, research papers, and other useful information with much ease. The normal search usually makes it difficult to access these. They can get facts from published articles and get sources for citations. Businesses can track activities and monitor progress of their competitors. Optimized use of Search Modifiers can help analyze their websites in detail to get useful information. How to Get Better Results from Google Search? There are a few techniques that can help anyone refine their search results. The first step is to think about your queries before using Google Search. For example, if you are experiencing pain in your head and you want to Google it. You would get better results if instead of using ‘I am feeling pain in my head’ you search for ‘headache’. Because articles of medical websites will most likely contain this keyword. There are a few ways to improve your queries before doing any actual search. Pre-Search Tips 1. Examine the query to identify keywords and your specifications. 2. Specify the format for your information. Normal 'Universal Search' will include all format types. Example Formats: Graphs, Images, Videos, Audios, Documents, Books, Products, News. 3. Refine Your Search – Keywords & Tools. • Brainstorm Keywords & Tools (Databases etc.) • If you can't think of useful keywords. Read an article about the topic and learn some relevant words from it. • You can also specify databases or websites that you want Google to perform a search in. • Make a list of relevant terms, phrases, topics, words, and synonyms you might try in a keyword search, then pick your favorites. • A good search string includes ‘Format’ requirements also. EXAMPLE: If you are searching for Electric Cars in Asia – some keywords you might want to try: Best electric cars in Asia Electric cars Asian Electric cars in southeast Asia Electric vehicles in southeast Electric vehicles Asia Electric vehicles Asia Asia summit Singapore Electric vehicles Asia summit 2019 Techniques to Improve Google Search Results Basic Tips Use of Tabs Use the tabs in Google search to define what kind of search you need to do. Usually, you’ll see Web, Image, News, and More. Don’t Use Common Words Common words like ‘a' and ‘the' are usually ignored by the search engines. Punctuation is also usually ignored. But there are some exceptions. For example, Eagle and The Eagle return different results. Use Specific terms Improve your search results using specific terms or keywords. No suffixes Use base words so that you don't exclude relevant pages. For example, use 'ship' instead of 'ships', 'talk' instead of 'talks.’ Use AutoComplete Start your search from general to specific. This will maximize the use of the AutoComplete. Selecting an item as it appears in the drop-down list will save typing time. No Capitalization Uppercase and lowercase are usually treated as the same by most search engines. Choose Appropriate Keywords Websites often use language that sounds professional. Use terminology that you would find on a professional website. Example: Wrong-Way: “I am feeling pain in my head” Right-Way: “headache.” Use Fewer and Specific Keywords If there are too many keywords, it may take longer to get the desired results. Example: Wrong-Way: Where can I find an Italian restaurant that can deliver food. Right-Way: ‘Italian restaurants nearby’ or ‘Italian restaurants near me’. Spelling usually doesn't affect the results Search algorithms are a lot smarter now. If your search item is close enough to the right word(s), Google can usually figure out what it means. Search social media Use @ to search social media. For example @instagram. Search for a price Use $ to search prices. For example DSLR $400. Search hashtags Use # to find hashtags. For example: #tbt Use of Search Modifiers Google Search has built-in functions called Search Modifiers. They make it easier to customize your search results according to your needs. Quotation marks (“ ”) - For exact phrases Use double quotes like “search-phrase". The results will contain those exact words in their original order. It's one of the best ways to limit the search results. Example: "I have a dream". Boolean Search Strings Boolean logic uses AND, OR, and NOT to define the relationship among sets. Many search tools recognize Boolean logic for defining a search string. Use of the right keywords with these symbols can improve search results with much ease. Minus operator (-) - To narrow the search Terms with many meanings return a lot of unwanted results. To exclude certain results use the ‘-‘ operator. Ellipsis Operator ‘()' – Group Search Items Used in conjunction with ‘AND’ and ‘OR’ for better results. Plus Operator (+) - Include specified words in the result. It will return results that include the word after the + symbol. Tilde Operator (~) – Synonyms Use tilde to get results that include synonyms of the searched term. Wildcard Operator (*) - Fill in the blank operator. Use asterisk if you don’t remember the complete phrase. Google will return the most popular related results. Example: ‘Wheels * Bus’ will return pages with ‘Wheels on the Bus’ among other similar results. OR Operator (OR) or (|): Return Results for Either of the Search Words Use ‘OR’ to return results with any of two or more terms. Example: ‘Milk Honey’ will return pages with both 'Milk' and 'Honey'. While 'Milk OR Honey' will return pages with either 'Milk' or 'Honey'. Define: Word Definitions Use ‘define:’ to get definitions of words. You can listen to the word's pronunciation by pressing the mic icon. Example: define: exacerbate Location: News in a Specific Location Use the ‘location:’ command. Search Google News for stories coming from a specific location. Example: wildfires location: California Filetype: Specific Document Types Use the modifier ‘filetype:’ followed by the desired type of file. Google will return results containing that filetype only. Example Search: "French Revolution" filetype:ppt Cache: Recent Cached Version of Webpage Cache: command returns the most recent cached version of a webpage (indexed pages only). Stocks: Stock Information Chart Search for the name of a stock company or its ticker symbol and Google will give you a thumbnail chart for the stock. Example: stock: BPL Map: Location Map Enter any location and Google will immediately return the map of that location. Example: map: London Movie: Information about a movie Enter any movie name followed by ‘movie:’ and Google will provide results for that movie only. Example: movie: Tron Source: Source for News Find news results from a specified source in Google News. Example: source: AFP will return all links to the source news site. X..Y: Numeric Ranges Use this to limit results that contain a range of numbers. You can do this by using the X..Y modifier (X and Y separated by two periods). It is useful for searches that include years, prices, or anywhere you want to provide a series of numbers. Example Search: “world cups” 1940..1950 Using Site-Specific Search Modifiers These commands are site-specific. They perform search functions on the sites mentioned along with the modifier. Site: To Perform a Search Within a Website Search a specific website for content that matches a certain phrase. Use the modifier ‘site:sitename.com’. Example: site:www.wikipedia.com "Egyptian History” Related: To Search for a Related Website You can find new websites that have content like a website that you are using already. Example: related:www.pinterest.com Link: Provides Results That Link to Mentioned Webpage Use ‘link:’ followed by the name of a page. Google will give you all the pages that link to that page. A more specific URL implies more accurate results. Example: link:reddit.com Search Part(s) of a Webpage allintext: To Search for Words in the Text of a Webpage Search for a webpage where search terms appear in the text of the page. Use the command ‘allintext:’ followed immediately by a word or phrase. Example: allintext: scuba diving Spain Intext: To Look for Words in the Text, the Title and the URL, etc. Search a webpage for a term that appears in the text of the page and another term that appears in the title or the URL. Type the first term followed by ‘intext:’ followed immediately by the other term. Example: blue whale ‘intext:whaling’ Allintitle: To Search Words in the Title Search for a webpage that has certain words in the title. Type 'allintitle:’ followed immediately by words or phrases. Example: allintitle: Siberian tiger Intitle: Search for Words in the Title, the Text, and the URL Search for a webpage where one term appears in the title of the page and another term appears in the text or the URL. Type the first term followed by ‘intitle:’ immediately followed by the other term. Example: ‘headache intitle:pills’ allinurl: Search for Words in the URL Search pages with your search phrase(s) in the URL. Use the command ‘allinurl:’ followed by your search phrase. Example: allinurl: friendly dolphins OTHER USEFUL FEATURES Calculator 'Calculator' can solve a variety of Math problems. You can calculate tips at restaurants, make graphs, or solve geometry problems. Search for answers by typing equations in the search box or Search for ‘calculator’. Calculator function can solve the following calculations: · Arithmetic · Functions · Value of physical constants · Base and representative conversion Graph Equations You can make Graphs by entering functions in the search box. Graph-able Functions: · Trigonometric · Exponential · Logarithmic · 3D graphs Geometry calculator Find answers to complex geometry problems using Google Search. Unit converter To convert from one measurement to another, use the Unit Converter. CONVERSIONS Temperature Length Mass Volume Area Fuel consumption Digital storage Color Picker Use Color Picker to choose a color or to convert from one color code to another. Follow Stocks Speed Time Search for a stock, for example,’BPL’. Under the stock name, tap or click ‘Follow’ or in some cases click the star symbol. Order Food You can order food from Google Search by following three simple steps: Pick a Restaurant Choose Your Food Check-Out Filter for Recipes Search for any food, and then click “Search Tools”. You can filter recipes based on ingredients, calories and the time it takes to cook. It’s especially useful if you have any dietary restrictions. Compare Food Items Search Google to compare food items. See how food items differ in calories, fat, protein, cholesterol, and other nutrients. Search Example: pizza vs burger Translator Search ‘translate [word] to [language]’. Example: translate bardasht to English Search for Location by using Area Code Find a location for a phone number by entering the three-digit area code and Google will tell you the area it’s from. Example Search: 202 Search Zip Code Search the address. Google will return results with an area code (if applicable) Example Search: S Van Dorn St, Alexandria, VA Tip Calculator Google has a built-in tip calculator. You can adjust your bill, the percentage of the tip, and the number of people splitting it. Search ‘tip calculator’ Timer Type the word "timer" along with the desired duration. The countdown will begin automatically. Stopwatch Search "stopwatch" and Google will give you a stopwatch for you to start when you're ready. News Archives Google News provides an option to search for archived news. It includes reputable newspapers from around the world. These archives contain more than 100 years’ worth of newspapers. Some news archives even go back to the 1880s. Weather You can search for the weather for any location. Example: weather Nairobi Sunrise & Sunset Times Search ‘sunrise’ or ‘sunset’ along with the name of the location. Example: sunrise Kyoto Check Flight Status Search using the name of the airline and the airplane number. Google will give you the flight information, status, and other helpful information. Search Example: TG 413 Sports Schedules and Scores Search team name(s) and Google will use Google Sports to give you scores and schedules. Search Example: Arsenal Track Packages Track your packages through Google Search. Enter the package number and Google will provide a link to the tracking page. Time Search by typing ‘time’. Google will return up-to-date local time based on the IP address. Example: time ‘location-name’. Explore Local Attractions Search using ‘city-name’ attractions. Google will give you an info card with local attractions and images. ‘More things to do’ option will give you a map of the area with attractions marked on the map. Interactive Games and Tools You can access Built-in games and tools by specific commands. · Search for Pac-Man, Tic Tac Toe, Solitaire, Minesweeper, and Snake to play them. · Type "flip a coin" or ‘roll a dice’ and Google will do it for you. · 'Breathing exercise' feature. · Typing 'Tilt' will tilt your screen. · Type 'Atari breakout' and then click on 'images' and the game will begin. · Type 'Festivus' to add a Festivus pole to the left side of the screen. · Type 'do a barrel roll' or 'z or r twice' to cause the screen to do a 360 turn. · Type 'Google in 1998' to make the page appear as Google did in 1998. · Type 'zerg rush'. Many 'O’s will appear and target search results to destroy them. You can fight them by clicking on them. Other Functions of Search Make your own Alerts You can create custom alerts for certain keywords. These alerts will keep you notified of updates related to your keyword. Create alerts for specific news, products, events, etc. Save Images in Google Search for Later Google has introduced a Pinterest-like feature. It gives users the power to save images to view later. Click on any image in the image Search and tap the bookmark icon (). This feature saves across devices. To access saved images, click "Collections" on the top-right of Google image search. Filter Explicit Content Protect kids from explicit content with Google's SafeSearch feature. Open Settings and select Turn on SafeSearch. You can filter out any explicit links, images, or videos. ADVANCED SEARCH Advanced Search allows you to customize your search by applying search filters. You can filter results by time, size, type, color, etc. How to Perform an Advanced Search? Limit your search results by using the Advanced Search. For example, find sites updated within defined hours or images that are in black and white. In the "Find pages with" section, enter your search terms. In the "Then narrow your results by" section, choose your filter(s) and click Advanced Search. Using the Time Filter to Limit Search Results You can use search tools to filter your search results. Click ‘Tools’ or ‘Search Tools’. Select ‘Any time’ and the drop-down menu will let you limit results to hours, weeks, and months, or a custom date range. Latest Innovations in Google Search Google Voice Search Search using your voice by clicking the mic button in the search box. It works better on mobile devices, where the "OK, Google" triggers the Google Assistant. Google Assistant is available on Android devices. It includes Wear OS devices, Android TV, Nvidia Shield, and Android Auto. Google Assistant offers voice commands, voice searching, and voice-activated device control. You can perform tasks by saying the "OK Google" or "Hey, Google" trigger words. It provides a form of interaction through conversation. Google Assistant: · Can control devices, smart home, music, etc. · Can get information from calendars etc. · · Finds information online. Plays content, opens apps, makes appointments, reads notifications, sends messages, etc. · Can run timers and manage reminders. · Provides real-time spoken translations. Google Lens Visual Search Google Lens analyses images to bring up relevant information. It can perform some other specific tasks too. Google Photos, Google Assistant and the camera app have built-in Google Lens feature. It uses artificial intelligence and deep learning to work. Google Lens is also able to recognize and transcribe the text. It can read business names on signs, phone numbers, and even email addresses. You can use Google Lens Visual Search by: · Aiming your camera at something that includes text. · Pressing the Google Lens button. Google Lens will bring up different options depending on the taken picture. · Call the phone numbers in the text. · Send emails to email addresses in the text. · Add phone numbers or email addresses to your contacts. · Copy the text to paste elsewhere or run a search. Reverse Image Search You can perform reverse image search in the browser by following these steps: · Upload a picture · Drag and drop a picture · Search with a URL · Search with a picture from a website Right-click the picture. Click Search Google for the image. Your results will appear in a new tab. Live View Augmented Reality (AR) Google Maps Search Live View provides directions in Google Maps for walking. It uses your device’s camera to give you an Augmented Reality (AR) view of the location. Only certain devices and locations have this feature yet. You can search for a location in Google Maps. Live View will give you directions using your device’s camera. Earth Virtual Reality Search Earth VR gives you the ability to search ‘locations’. Type any address or location name, and you can visit anywhere in the world. There are some hand-picked locations to help you discover incredible places. Augmented Reality Search Google is adding Augmented Reality to its search results. To find the AR feature, you need to perform a Google search (limited to a few things – animals, shopping clothes, etc.). A search for ‘Tiger’ will return results for the animal. A box will give you the option to ‘Meet a life-sized tiger up close.’ Tap “View in 3D” and a 3D model will appear on the screen. If you want to view the animal in your environment, you can click on the AR tab. The tiger will appear on the screen overlaid atop the user’s habitat. Interesting Fact: You may also see ads along with the main search results. The main search results are not sold, and they are not influenced by advertising. Google keeps the ads separated from those results and labeled with the word "Ad" or "Ads". OTHER GOOGLE SEARCH RELATED PRODUCTS For specific purposes, you can use other Google Search-related products. They might contain information about your query. Below is the full list of various Google search and searchrelated products: Google (stories from all categories below, combined) Google: Ad Planner Google: Alerts Google: Apps for Your Domain Google: Blog Search Google: Browsers Google: Calendar Google: Code Search Google: Custom Search Engine Google: Desktop Google: Accounts & Profiles Google: Acquisitions Google: AdSense Google: Analytics Google: Audio Ads Google: AdWords Google: APIs Google: Base Google: Blogger Google: Business Issues Google: Checkout Google: Content Central Google: Dashboard Google: Book Search Google: Buzz Google: Chrome Google: Critics Google: Definitions Google: Discussions Google: Domains Google: Editions Google: DoubleClick Google: Employees Google: FeedBurner Google: Gadgets Google: Gmail Google: iGoogle Google: Feeds Google: Gears Google: Groups Google: Images Google: Jet Google: Legal Google: Knol Google: Logos Google: Marketing Google: Music Google: OneBox, Plus Box & Direct Answers Google: Mobile Google: News (see also our Meet the Google OneBox, Plus Box, Direct Answers & The 10-Pack article) Google: Other Google: Parodies Google: Personalized Search Google: Docs & Spreadsheets Google: Earth Google: Enterprise Search Google: Finance Google: General Google: Health Google: Internet Access Google: Labs Google: Maps & Local Google: Moderator Google: Offices Google: OpenSocial Google: Orkut Google: Outside US Google: Patents Google: Other Ads Google: Partnerships Google: Picasa Google: Place Pages Google: Q & A Google: Search Customization Google: SEO Google: Social Search Google: Print Ads & AdSense For Newspapers Google: Reader Google: Product Search Google: Real-Time Search Google: Security Google: SearchWiki Google: Squared Google: Toolbar Google: Trends Google: Sidewiki (see also our What Is Google Social Search tutorial) Google: Street View Google: Transit Google: TV Google: User Interface Google: Voice Search Google: Web Search Google: Webmaster Central Google: Sitelinks Google: SpyView Google: Suggest Google: Translate Google: Universal Search Google: Web History & Search History Google: Website Optimizer Google: YouTube & Video Alternate Search Suggestions It is possible that some specific information may have no relevant article available. If this happens, you can try Forums like Google, Yahoo, Reddit, Quora, etc. to look for a solution. You can ask a fully formed question on a forum. Other internet users will give their personal opinions on your query. Hopefully, you might be able to get an accurate answer to your question on these forums. Closing Remarks The appropriate use of Google Search significantly improves search results. Researchers can use search optimization techniques to get useful information with much ease. Businesses can use Google Search to track the activities of their competitors. They can analyze their websites in detail using Site-Specific Search Modifiers. Improve your Search Results by following these: · Analyze your query to improve the usage of your keywords and search tools. · Basic Search Tips teach you how Google Search works. · Search modifiers drop irrelevant pages from the results to give you relevant results. · Advanced Search gives you the ability to customize your search. You can do that by applying different filters. · Learning about Latest Innovations in Google Search gives you its up-to-date utilities.