101 GOOGLE TIPS and TRICKS
Looking for the ultimate tips for Google
searching? You've just found the only guide to
Google you need. Let's get started..
1. The best way to begin searching harder with
Google is by clicking the Advanced Search link.
2. This lets you search for exact phrases, "all
these words", or one of the specified keywords
by entering search terms into the appropriate
box.
3. You can also define how many results you
want on the page, what language and what file
type you're looking for, all with menus.
4. Advanced Search lets you type in a Top Level
Domain (like .co.uk) in the "Search within site
of domain" box to restrict results.
5. And you can click the "Date, usage rights,
numeric range and more" link to access more
advanced features.
6. Save time – most of these advanced features
are also available in Google's front page search
box, as command line parameters.
7. Google's main search invisibly combines
search terms with the Boolean construct "AND".
When you enter smoke fire – it looks for smoke
AND fire.
8. To make Google search for smoke or fire,
just type smoke OR fire
9. Instead of OR you can type the | symbol, like
this: smoke | fire
10. Boolean connectors like AND and OR are case
sensitive. They must be upper case.
11. Search for a specific term, then one
keyword OR another by grouping them with
parentheses, like this: water (smoke OR fire)
12. To look for phrases, put them in quotes:
"there's no smoke without fire"
13. Synonym search looks for words that mean
similar things. Use the tilde symbol before your
keyword, like this: ~eggplant
14. Exclude specific key words with the minus
operator. new pram -ebay excludes all results
from eBay.
15. Common words, like I, and, then and if are
ignored by Google. These are called "stop
words".
16. The plus operator makes sure stop words are
included. Like: fish +and chips
17. If a stop word is included in a phrase
between quote marks as a phrase, the word is
searched for.
18. You can also ask Google to fill in a blank.
Try: Christopher Columbus discovered *
19. Search for a numerical range using the
numrange operator. For example, search for
Sony TV between £300 and £500 with the string
Sony TV £300..£500
20. Google recognises 13 main file types through
advanced search, including all Microsoft Office
Document types, Lotus, PostScript, Shockwave
Flash and plain text files.
21. Search for any filetype directly using the
modifier filetype:[filetype extension]. For
example: soccer filetype df
22. Exclude entire file types, using the same
Boolean syntax we used to exclude key words
earlier: rugby -filetype:doc
23, In fact, you can combine any Boolean search
operators, as long as your syntax is correct. An
example: "sausage and mash" -onions
filetype:doc
24. Google has some very powerful, hidden
search parameters, too. For example "intitle"
only searches page titles. Try intitle:herbs
25. If you're looking for files rather than pages
– give index of as the intitle: parameter. It
helps you find web and FTP directories.
26. The modifier inurl only searches the web
address of a page: give inurl:spices a go.
27. Find live webcams by searching for:ö
inurl:view/view.shtml
28. The modifier inanchor is very specific, only
finding results in text used in page links.
29. Want to know how many links there are to a
site? Try link:sitename – for example
link: http://www.mozilla.org
30. Similarly, you can find pages that Google
thinks are related in content, using the related:
modifier. Use it like this:
related: http://www.microsoft.com
31. The modifier info:site_name returns
information about the specified page.
32. Alternatively, do a normal search then click
the "Similar Pages" link next to a result.
33. Specify a site to search with the site:
modifier – like this: search tips
site: http://www.techradar.com
34. The above tip works with directory sites like
http://www.dmoz.org and dynamically generated sites.
35. Access Google Directory – a database of
handpicked and rated sites – at
directory.google.com
36. The Boolean operators intitle and inurl work
in Google directory, as does OR.
37. Use the site: modifier when searching
Google Images, at images.google.com. For
example: dvd recorder site: http://www.amazon.co.uk
38. Similar, using "site:.com" will only return
results from .com domains.
39. Google News (news.google.com) has its own
Boolean parameters. For example "intext" pulls
terms from the body of a story.
40. If you use the operator "source:" in Google
News, you can pick specific archives. For
example: heather mills source:daily_mail
41. Using the "location:" filter enables you to
return news from a chosen country. location:uk
for example.
42. Similarly, Google Blogsearch
(blogsearch.google.com) has its own syntax. You
can search for a blog title, for example, using
inblogtitle:
43. The general search engine can get very
specific indeed. Try movie: to look for movie
reviews.
44. The modifier film: works just as well!
45. Enter showtimes and Google will prompt you
for your postcode. Enter it and it'll tell you
when and where local films are showing.
46. For a dedicated film search page, go to
http://www.google.co.uk/movies
47. If you ticked "Remember this Location"
when you searched for show times, the next
time you can enter the name of a current film
instead.
48. Google really likes movies. Try typing
director: The Dark Knight into the main search
box
49. For cast lists, try cast: name_of_film
50. The modifier music: followed by a band,
song or album returns music reviews.
51. Try searching for weather London – you'll
get a full 4-day forecast.
52. There's also a built-in dictionary. Try
define: in the search box.
53. Google stores the content of old sites. You
can search this cache direct with the syntax
keyword cache:site_url
54. Alternatively, enter cache:site_url into
Google's search box to be taken direct to the
stored site.
55. No calculator handy? Use Google's built in
features. Try typing 12*15 and hitting "Google
Search".
56. Google's calculator converts measurements
and understands natural language. Type in 14
stones in kilos, for example.
57. It does currency conversion too. Try 200
pounds in euros
58. If you know the currency code you can type
200 GBP in EUR instead for more reliable
results.
59. And temperature! Just type: 98 f to c to
convert Fahrenheit to Centigrade.
60. Want to know how clever Google really is?
Type 2476 in roman numerals, then hit "Google
Search"...
61. You can personalise your Google experience
by creating a Google account. Go to
http://www.google.com/account/ then click "Create
Account".
62. With a Google account there are lots more
extras available. You'll get a free Gmail email
account for one...
63. With your Google account, you can also
personalise your front page. Click "iGoogle" to
add blog and site feeds.
64. Click "Add a Tab" in iGoogle to add custom
tabs. Google automatically populates them with
suitable site suggestions.
65. iGoogle allows you to theme your page too.
Click "Select Theme" to change the default look.
66. Some iGoogle themes change with7
time..."Sweet Dreams" is a theme that turns
from day to night as you browse.
67. Click "More" under "Try something new" to
access a full list of Google sites and new
features.
68. "Custom Search" enables you to create a
branded Google search for your own site.
69. An active, useful service missing from the
list is "Personalised Search" – but you can
access it via http://www.google.com/psearch when
you're logged in.
70. This page lists searches you have recently
made – and is divided into categories. Clicking
"pause" stops Google from recording your
history.
71. Click "Trends" to see the sites you visit
most, the terms you enter most often and links
you've clicked on!
72. Personalised Search also includes a bookmark
facility – which enables you to save bookmarks
online and access them from anywhere.
73. You can add bookmarks or access your
bookmarks using the iGoogle Bookmarks gadget.
74. Did you know you can search within your
returned results? Scroll down to the bottom of
the search results page to find the link.
75. Search locally by appending your postcode to
the end of query. For example Indian food BA1
2BW finds restaurants in Bath, with addresses
and phone numbers!
76. Looking for a map? Just add map to the end
of your query, like this: Leeds map
77. Google finds images just as easily and lists
them at the top, when you add image to the end
of your search.
78. Google Image Search recognises faces... add
&imgtype=face to the end of the returned URL
in the location bar, then hit enter to filter out
pictures that aren't people.
79. Keeping an eye on stocks? Type stocks:
followed by market ticker for the company and
Google returns the data from Google Finance.
80. Enter the carrier and flight number in
Google's main search box to return flight
tracking information.
81. What time is it? Find out anywhere by
typing time then the name of a place.
82. You may have noticed Google suggests
alternate spellings for search terms – that's
the built in spell checker!
83. You can invoke the spell checker directly by
using spell: followed by your keyword.
84. Click "I'm Feeling Lucky" to be taken
straight to the first page Google finds for your
keyword.
85. Enter a statistics-based query like
population of Britain into Google, and it will
show you the answer at the top of its results.
86. If your search has none-English results,
click "Translate this Page" to see it in English.
87. You can search foreign sites specifically by
clicking "Language Tools", then choosing which
countries sites to translate your query to.
88. Other features on the language tools page
include a translator for blocks of text you can
type or cut and paste.
89. There's also a box that you can enter a
direct URL into, translating to the chosen
language.
90. Near the language tools link, you'll see the
"Search Preferences". This handy page is full of
secret functionality.
91. You can specify which languages Google
returns results in, ticking as many (or few)
boxes as you like.
92. Google's Safe Search protects you from
explicit sexual content. You can choose to filter
results more stringently or switch it off
completely.
93. Google's default of 10 results a page can be
increased to up to 100 in Search Preferences,
too.
94. You can also set Google to open your search
results in a new window.
95. Want to see what others are searching for
or improve your page rank? Go to
http://www.google.com/zeitgeist
96. Another useful, experimental search can be
found at http://www.google.com/trends – where you
can find the hottest search terms.
97. To compare the performance of two or more
terms, enter them into the trends search box
separated by commas.
98. Fancy searching Google in Klingon? Go to
http://www.google.com/intl/xx-klingon
99. Perhaps the Swedish chef from the muppets
is your role model instead? Check
http://www.google.com/intl/xx-bork
100. Type answer to life, the universe and
everything into Google. You may be surprised by
the result...
101. It will also tell you the number of horns on
a unicorn
searching? You've just found the only guide to
Google you need. Let's get started..
1. The best way to begin searching harder with
Google is by clicking the Advanced Search link.
2. This lets you search for exact phrases, "all
these words", or one of the specified keywords
by entering search terms into the appropriate
box.
3. You can also define how many results you
want on the page, what language and what file
type you're looking for, all with menus.
4. Advanced Search lets you type in a Top Level
Domain (like .co.uk) in the "Search within site
of domain" box to restrict results.
5. And you can click the "Date, usage rights,
numeric range and more" link to access more
advanced features.
6. Save time – most of these advanced features
are also available in Google's front page search
box, as command line parameters.
7. Google's main search invisibly combines
search terms with the Boolean construct "AND".
When you enter smoke fire – it looks for smoke
AND fire.
8. To make Google search for smoke or fire,
just type smoke OR fire
9. Instead of OR you can type the | symbol, like
this: smoke | fire
10. Boolean connectors like AND and OR are case
sensitive. They must be upper case.
11. Search for a specific term, then one
keyword OR another by grouping them with
parentheses, like this: water (smoke OR fire)
12. To look for phrases, put them in quotes:
"there's no smoke without fire"
13. Synonym search looks for words that mean
similar things. Use the tilde symbol before your
keyword, like this: ~eggplant
14. Exclude specific key words with the minus
operator. new pram -ebay excludes all results
from eBay.
15. Common words, like I, and, then and if are
ignored by Google. These are called "stop
words".
16. The plus operator makes sure stop words are
included. Like: fish +and chips
17. If a stop word is included in a phrase
between quote marks as a phrase, the word is
searched for.
18. You can also ask Google to fill in a blank.
Try: Christopher Columbus discovered *
19. Search for a numerical range using the
numrange operator. For example, search for
Sony TV between £300 and £500 with the string
Sony TV £300..£500
20. Google recognises 13 main file types through
advanced search, including all Microsoft Office
Document types, Lotus, PostScript, Shockwave
Flash and plain text files.
21. Search for any filetype directly using the
modifier filetype:[filetype extension]. For
example: soccer filetype df
22. Exclude entire file types, using the same
Boolean syntax we used to exclude key words
earlier: rugby -filetype:doc
23, In fact, you can combine any Boolean search
operators, as long as your syntax is correct. An
example: "sausage and mash" -onions
filetype:doc
24. Google has some very powerful, hidden
search parameters, too. For example "intitle"
only searches page titles. Try intitle:herbs
25. If you're looking for files rather than pages
– give index of as the intitle: parameter. It
helps you find web and FTP directories.
26. The modifier inurl only searches the web
address of a page: give inurl:spices a go.
27. Find live webcams by searching for:ö
inurl:view/view.shtml
28. The modifier inanchor is very specific, only
finding results in text used in page links.
29. Want to know how many links there are to a
site? Try link:sitename – for example
link: http://www.mozilla.org
30. Similarly, you can find pages that Google
thinks are related in content, using the related:
modifier. Use it like this:
related: http://www.microsoft.com
31. The modifier info:site_name returns
information about the specified page.
32. Alternatively, do a normal search then click
the "Similar Pages" link next to a result.
33. Specify a site to search with the site:
modifier – like this: search tips
site: http://www.techradar.com
34. The above tip works with directory sites like
http://www.dmoz.org and dynamically generated sites.
35. Access Google Directory – a database of
handpicked and rated sites – at
directory.google.com
36. The Boolean operators intitle and inurl work
in Google directory, as does OR.
37. Use the site: modifier when searching
Google Images, at images.google.com. For
example: dvd recorder site: http://www.amazon.co.uk
38. Similar, using "site:.com" will only return
results from .com domains.
39. Google News (news.google.com) has its own
Boolean parameters. For example "intext" pulls
terms from the body of a story.
40. If you use the operator "source:" in Google
News, you can pick specific archives. For
example: heather mills source:daily_mail
41. Using the "location:" filter enables you to
return news from a chosen country. location:uk
for example.
42. Similarly, Google Blogsearch
(blogsearch.google.com) has its own syntax. You
can search for a blog title, for example, using
inblogtitle:
43. The general search engine can get very
specific indeed. Try movie: to look for movie
reviews.
44. The modifier film: works just as well!
45. Enter showtimes and Google will prompt you
for your postcode. Enter it and it'll tell you
when and where local films are showing.
46. For a dedicated film search page, go to
http://www.google.co.uk/movies
47. If you ticked "Remember this Location"
when you searched for show times, the next
time you can enter the name of a current film
instead.
48. Google really likes movies. Try typing
director: The Dark Knight into the main search
box
49. For cast lists, try cast: name_of_film
50. The modifier music: followed by a band,
song or album returns music reviews.
51. Try searching for weather London – you'll
get a full 4-day forecast.
52. There's also a built-in dictionary. Try
define: in the search box.
53. Google stores the content of old sites. You
can search this cache direct with the syntax
keyword cache:site_url
54. Alternatively, enter cache:site_url into
Google's search box to be taken direct to the
stored site.
55. No calculator handy? Use Google's built in
features. Try typing 12*15 and hitting "Google
Search".
56. Google's calculator converts measurements
and understands natural language. Type in 14
stones in kilos, for example.
57. It does currency conversion too. Try 200
pounds in euros
58. If you know the currency code you can type
200 GBP in EUR instead for more reliable
results.
59. And temperature! Just type: 98 f to c to
convert Fahrenheit to Centigrade.
60. Want to know how clever Google really is?
Type 2476 in roman numerals, then hit "Google
Search"...
61. You can personalise your Google experience
by creating a Google account. Go to
http://www.google.com/account/ then click "Create
Account".
62. With a Google account there are lots more
extras available. You'll get a free Gmail email
account for one...
63. With your Google account, you can also
personalise your front page. Click "iGoogle" to
add blog and site feeds.
64. Click "Add a Tab" in iGoogle to add custom
tabs. Google automatically populates them with
suitable site suggestions.
65. iGoogle allows you to theme your page too.
Click "Select Theme" to change the default look.
66. Some iGoogle themes change with7
time..."Sweet Dreams" is a theme that turns
from day to night as you browse.
67. Click "More" under "Try something new" to
access a full list of Google sites and new
features.
68. "Custom Search" enables you to create a
branded Google search for your own site.
69. An active, useful service missing from the
list is "Personalised Search" – but you can
access it via http://www.google.com/psearch when
you're logged in.
70. This page lists searches you have recently
made – and is divided into categories. Clicking
"pause" stops Google from recording your
history.
71. Click "Trends" to see the sites you visit
most, the terms you enter most often and links
you've clicked on!
72. Personalised Search also includes a bookmark
facility – which enables you to save bookmarks
online and access them from anywhere.
73. You can add bookmarks or access your
bookmarks using the iGoogle Bookmarks gadget.
74. Did you know you can search within your
returned results? Scroll down to the bottom of
the search results page to find the link.
75. Search locally by appending your postcode to
the end of query. For example Indian food BA1
2BW finds restaurants in Bath, with addresses
and phone numbers!
76. Looking for a map? Just add map to the end
of your query, like this: Leeds map
77. Google finds images just as easily and lists
them at the top, when you add image to the end
of your search.
78. Google Image Search recognises faces... add
&imgtype=face to the end of the returned URL
in the location bar, then hit enter to filter out
pictures that aren't people.
79. Keeping an eye on stocks? Type stocks:
followed by market ticker for the company and
Google returns the data from Google Finance.
80. Enter the carrier and flight number in
Google's main search box to return flight
tracking information.
81. What time is it? Find out anywhere by
typing time then the name of a place.
82. You may have noticed Google suggests
alternate spellings for search terms – that's
the built in spell checker!
83. You can invoke the spell checker directly by
using spell: followed by your keyword.
84. Click "I'm Feeling Lucky" to be taken
straight to the first page Google finds for your
keyword.
85. Enter a statistics-based query like
population of Britain into Google, and it will
show you the answer at the top of its results.
86. If your search has none-English results,
click "Translate this Page" to see it in English.
87. You can search foreign sites specifically by
clicking "Language Tools", then choosing which
countries sites to translate your query to.
88. Other features on the language tools page
include a translator for blocks of text you can
type or cut and paste.
89. There's also a box that you can enter a
direct URL into, translating to the chosen
language.
90. Near the language tools link, you'll see the
"Search Preferences". This handy page is full of
secret functionality.
91. You can specify which languages Google
returns results in, ticking as many (or few)
boxes as you like.
92. Google's Safe Search protects you from
explicit sexual content. You can choose to filter
results more stringently or switch it off
completely.
93. Google's default of 10 results a page can be
increased to up to 100 in Search Preferences,
too.
94. You can also set Google to open your search
results in a new window.
95. Want to see what others are searching for
or improve your page rank? Go to
http://www.google.com/zeitgeist
96. Another useful, experimental search can be
found at http://www.google.com/trends – where you
can find the hottest search terms.
97. To compare the performance of two or more
terms, enter them into the trends search box
separated by commas.
98. Fancy searching Google in Klingon? Go to
http://www.google.com/intl/xx-klingon
99. Perhaps the Swedish chef from the muppets
is your role model instead? Check
http://www.google.com/intl/xx-bork
100. Type answer to life, the universe and
everything into Google. You may be surprised by
the result...
101. It will also tell you the number of horns on
a unicorn
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