Google – It’s arguably the best and most powerful search engine the web has to offer right now. While the popular search engine is in fact typically a consumer’s go-to choice to find articles, images and other information on products and services, if a user does not utilize Google in the correct manner he or she can end up spending way too much time shuffling through irrelevant result pages.
That said, a consumer needs to know how to use the search engine via the power of “key words.” In fact, this is how Google stores web pages in its database – it picks up on words and phrases found in various articles and gives you what it “thinks” you’re looking for. Thus to make sure you know how to refine your search so that you can save time and get the exact information that you want, check out the tips and tricks below to learn how to optimize Google to the best of your ability.
1. When Searching Definitions
Definitions – Let’s be honest, no one carries around pocket dictionaries around anymore. But they do carry their smartphones with them at all times. If you want to find the definition of a word in a jiffy while on the go (or even at home), it’s important that you don’t get duped by free dictionary advertisements that sometimes give you obscure definitions of words. To skip the fluff and get a straight answer, simply type in “define:” before the word you are looking for. For example, this is what appears when typing “define: beautiful” –
The definition will appear at the immediate top of the results page. It will even provide you with an audio feature so you can hear the proper pronunciation of the word.
2. When Expanding Results
When Google users can’t find what they’re looking for, often times they will refine their searches by changing the key words or rearrange the phrasing. A better way to do this is to use a tilde so that Google will automatically pick-up synonymous of your keywords as well. So for example, when looking for inexpensive vacation packages to Barbados, the words cheap, affordable, and inclusive appeared as well.
3. When Looking for Articles Within a Specific Site
Often times, Web sites (like ours) will provide a search bar so users can locate a specific article in the archives. But if the site does not, you can save a substantial amount of time by looking for the article through Google’s search bar. All you have to do is a type in a strong key word before adding “site:” and the Web site’s URL for whatever you are looking for to appear immediately. This is what happens when looking for articles in Namase.com relating to cloud computing-
4. When Looking for Similar Site/Pages
When you first begin to research about a topic, product or service sometimes you may not immediately get a page that provides you with all the information you need. A site may have some of the information, but not everything. In these instances you can refine your search so that Google formulates a list of sites that are similar in nature by simply typing in“related:” and then adding the URL of the website that is close but not right-on-the-money. So for example, when wanting to find more information about the nutritional values of eggs, we came across enc-online.org and then found these other sources by tying in “related: enc-online.org”
5. When Searching for Images
Lastly, you can find the image(s) you want, including size, ratio, type and can even narrow the photos down to users rights by utilizing the advanced Google Image search bar.
