21 Google Search Tips to Find Exactly What You Want

3 weeks ago 16

Here are 21 Google hunt tips that volition assistance you:

Refine your searches to get the close answers faster
Search the web without typing a query
Discover chill things you ne'er knew Google could do

At the end, we’ll besides amusement you however you tin get your tract to look successful much Google’s hunt results.

(Spoiler alert—it involves thing called hunt motor optimization, oregon SEO.)

But first, the tips.

1. Familiarize Yourself with the Basics

To bash a Google search, motorboat your browser, navigate to the hunt engine, and benignant what you’re looking for into the hunt bar.

Alternatively, if Google is your browser’s default hunt engine, benignant your query into your browser’s code bar.

You tin type:

Words (like “electrolysis”)
Phrases (like “electrolysis process”)
Questions (like “what is electrolysis”)

You don’t request to benignant successful afloat sentences.

Then, deed “Enter” oregon “return” connected your keyboard to tally the search.

Don’t interest astir your spelling oregon grammar. Google is bully astatine autocorrecting misspelled queries.

After you tally your search, Google volition show applicable results. Use the tabs astatine the apical to spot lone definite types of results.

For example, click “Images” to presumption lone representation results, oregon “News” to presumption results from quality sites:

Google whitethorn besides show topics astatine the apical of the hunt results. Click them to adhd to your query and constrictive your search:

For example, clicking the “women’s” taxable that Google displays connected the search motor results page for “cute shoes” volition update the hunt query to “women’s cute shoes”:

2. Filter Your Results

Filter the results to spot lone those published wrong a definite play oregon that lucifer your query connection for word.

To bash this, click the “Tools” enactment astatine the apical of the Google hunt results. “Any time” and “All results” drop-down menus volition appear.

Click “Any time” to filter for results published wrong the past hour, 24 hours, week, month, oregon year. Or wrong a day scope of your choice.

Click “All results” to take whether to spot each results oregon lone verbatim ones that intimately (or exactly) lucifer your hunt query.

For example, if you’re searching for a idiosyncratic named “Rob Downey,” turning connected the “Verbatim” filter ensures you get results for radical named Rob Downey.

And not Robert Downey Jr., the actor.

3. Search Within Websites

Add “site:[domain]” to your hunt query to presumption results from a circumstantial site.

This Google hunt extremity besides works for viewing results from circumstantial tract subdirectories, similar “[domain]/blog”:

Pro tip: Use different Google hunt operators to further refine your hunt and find precisely what you’re looking for.

4. Perform a Reverse Image Search

A reverse representation search uses an representation to look for information. It’s adjuvant for learning astir thing you person a representation of but don’t cognize the sanction of.

Run a reverse representation hunt successful Google by clicking the camera icon astatine the close of the hunt bar.

Upload your representation to Google, oregon paste an representation nexus into the provided field. Then click “Search.”

Google volition analyse your representation and suggest applicable results.

5. Search with Your Voice

If you can’t benignant your query, bash a dependable search—where you talk your query.

Select the microphone icon astatine the close of the hunt bar:

Let Google entree your microphone if prompted. Then, accidental your query retired loud.

Google volition transcribe your code and hunt for what you said. If the transcription is inaccurate, close it and rerun the search.

6. Get a Direct Answer

Google has partnered with different sites to supply answers to definite types of queries straight connected the results page. As a result, you don’t person to click a hunt effect to get an answer.

This is utile erstwhile you conscionable privation a straightforward answer. Like a banal price:

Try these Google hunt hacks for triggering nonstop answers:

To Get a Direct Answer for: Use This Query:

Weather successful a definite place	“Weather successful [country oregon city]”
Time successful a definite place	“Time successful [country oregon city]”
Stock prices	“[Stock ticker symbol] price”
Definitions	“Define [word]” oregon “[word] meaning”

Note: Direct answers are antithetic from featured snippets and AI Overviews. Like nonstop answers, featured snippets and AI Overviews connection answers straight connected the hunt results page. But featured snippets incorporate accusation extracted from sites, portion AI Overviews incorporate AI-generated information.

7. Find Exact Match Results

Enclose your hunt query successful treble quotation marks to presumption results that incorporate your query exactly arsenic it appears.

This Google hunt extremity is adjuvant for looking up the sources of quotes.

Let’s accidental you privation to cheque which blog station provided this advice: “You should ne'er wage for dofollow backlinks.”

Doing a Google hunt for that enactment without quotation marks whitethorn get you results with immoderate words missing oregon successful a antithetic order:

But rerun the hunt with quotation marks, and you’ll get the sentence’s root close away:

8. Exclude Certain Results

Add a minus motion earlier definite words to exclude results with these words from the hunt results.

Here’s an example:

Searching for “caterpillar” usually gets you accusation connected the Caterpillar operation instrumentality manufacturer.

To get accusation connected the insect, instead, hunt for “caterpillar -construction”:

Another Google hunt extremity is adding the minus motion earlier the “site:” relation to exclude a definite website from the results.

For example, to find mentions of your marque connected immoderate tract but yours, hunt for “[your marque name] -site:[your domain].”

9. Find Files

Get lone results with a definite record format by adding “filetype:[file format]” to your hunt query. Supported formats include:

pdf: For PDF files
doc: For Microsoft Word documents
xls: For Microsoft Excel spreadsheets
ppt: For Microsoft PowerPoint slides

If you’re looking for a PDF papers for example, hunt “[document name] filetype:pdf.”

10. Run an Advanced Search

An precocious hunt gets you results that conscionable requirements like:

Containing each of a definite enactment of words
Containing nary of definite enactment of words
Being successful a definite language
Originating from a definite country
Having definite usage rights

To tally an precocious search, bash a regular Google hunt first. Then, prime “Tools” > “Advanced Search” connected the hunt results page.

Fill retired the precocious hunt fields arsenic required, past deed the “Advanced Search” fastener to tally the search.

11. Turn On Dark Mode

Google offers a acheronian mode diagnostic for doing searches successful a dark-colored interface.

Turning connected acheronian mode whitethorn trim oculus strain. It whitethorn besides alteration bluish airy exposure, which tin marque it easier to slumber aft spending a batch of clip successful beforehand of a screen.

Google automatically enables acheronian mode if this is your device’s default setting. Learn however to alteration your device’s colour settings here:

Alternatively, if your device’s colour mounting is airy mode, here’s however to alteration acheronian mode for a one-off Google search:

From your desktop device, spell to the Google homepage. Select “Settings” astatine the bottommost close and past “Dark theme: Off.”

If you’re utilizing a mobile device, the “Dark theme: Off” enactment volition look straight astatine the bottommost of the Google homepage.

12. Manage Explicit Results

Adjust Google’s SafeSearch settings to power whether you spot hunt results containing big contented and graphic violence.

Click the cogwheel icon astatine the apical close of the hunt results. Then click connected “SafeSearch.”

You’ll spot 3 settings:

Filter: Exclude explicit results entirely
Blur: Blur explicit images but not explicit substance oregon links
Off: Don’t censor immoderate results

Click your preferred option. Google volition prevention your prime and use it to each aboriginal searches.

Note: You whitethorn not beryllium capable to alteration your SafeSearch settings if your web head has locked them.

13. Do Math

Google tin assistance with mathematics calculations.

If your calculation involves elemental addition, subtraction, multiplication, oregon division, benignant it into Google’s hunt barroom and tally the search.

The hunt results leafage volition amusement the answer.

To execute much analyzable calculations involving trigonometric functions, logarithms, and more, hunt for “calculator.”

Google volition springiness you a technological calculator you tin use.

14. Convert Units of Measurement

Convert units of measurement by searching “[number] [source portion of measurement] successful [desired portion of measurement].”

For example:

6’2 successful cm
100 kg successful pounds
25 deg c successful kelvin

15. Convert Currencies

Google “[number] [source currency] to [desired currency]” to person currencies utilizing the real-time speech rate.

You’ll besides spot a illustration of the speech rate’s movements implicit time. Hover your cursor implicit the illustration to larn the speech complaint connected antithetic days.

16. Start a Timer oregon a Stopwatch

Search for “timer [duration]” to person Google commencement counting down from that duration automatically.

Click “Stop” if you request to intermission the timer and “Reset” to reset it.

Alternatively, hunt for “stopwatch” to get a stopwatch. Activate it by clicking “Start.”

Tip: Check your device’s dependable levels if you don’t perceive the timer spell off.

17. Activate a Bubble Level

Google offers a built-in level tool—also known arsenic a bubble oregon tone level—on mobile devices. It provides a unsmooth usher of however horizontal oregon vertical a aboveground is.

This Google hunt extremity is adjuvant erstwhile you request to spot whether that caller support you’ve installed is straight, but you don’t person a level handy.

Use it by searching for “bubble level” oregon “spirit level” connected your mobile device. Then, pat “Touch to activate.”

If prompted, assistance Google entree to your device’s question and predisposition sensors.

18. Set Up Search Alerts

Get notifications whenever determination are caller results for a Google hunt query.

For example, you tin acceptable up an alert for each clip idiosyncratic publishes a station that includes your sanction oregon your brand. Or topics applicable to you, similar “vegan recipes.”

To bash so, spell to Google Alerts and benignant the query you privation to show into the “Create an alert about…” field.

You’ll spot illustration results for your alert.

Click “Show options” to configure settings similar however often you privation to person notifications and the results’ connection and quality.

Then, click “Create Alert” to decorativeness the setup. Google volition commencement alerting you of caller results astatine your preferred frequency.

19. Track Packages

Google tin supply shipping updates for packages delivered by UPS, FedEx, and different supported shipping providers.

Just hunt for “[shipping provider] bundle tracking.” Provide your package’s tracking fig and click “Track via [shipping provider].”

Google volition show your package’s shipping presumption close determination successful the hunt results.

20. Play Games

You tin play definite games straight from Google’s hunt results page.

This is little of a Google hunt extremity and much of a amusive mode to usage Google.

To play games, hunt “minesweeper,” “snake,” “pac man,” “solitaire,” oregon “tic tac toe” to load the applicable game:

Alternatively, you tin play a substance escapade wherever you’ll get a script successful substance format. And your response—also successful substance format—affects what happens next.

Try it by searching for “text adventure.” Then right-click the hunt results leafage and prime “Inspect.”

Your browser’s developer tools volition appear. Navigate to the “Console” tab.

Under the ample “Warning!” heading successful the console’s messages, you’ll spot a question: “Would you similar to play a game?”

And 2 effect options: “Yes” oregon “No.”

Scroll to the bottommost of the console log, benignant your response, and past deed “Enter” oregon “return” connected your keyboard to commencement playing.

21. Discover Easter Eggs

You’ll sometimes find peculiar messages oregon features connected the Google hunt results for definite queries.

Here are immoderate examples:

Search for fonts similar “Calibri,” “Comic Sans MS,” and “Courier font,” and Google volition show results successful the respective font.

Ask Google “the reply to life, the universe, and everything” and it volition reply “42”—which is simply a supercomputer’s reply to the aforesaid question successful “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” a subject fabrication publication by Douglas Adams.

Meanwhile, Google the “BTS” Korean lad set and you’ll spot a purple bosom adjacent the apical near of the hunt results page.

Select the heart, and purple balloons volition look connected the screen. Click them to popular them. The balloons containing microphones uncover messages from BTS’s set members erstwhile popped.

Make Google Search Work for You

Applying this database of Google hunt tricks volition get you much applicable answers to your questions—and quicker, to boot. Some of these tips besides marque Googling much fun.

But isolated from learning however to hunt connected Google efficaciously for others’ pages, however would you similar your pages to look successful Google’s hunt results?

You tin look higher for applicable hunt queries by utilizing SEO.

SEO is the process of helping hunt engines observe and recognize your tract truthful they tin show your site’s pages for applicable queries.

Optimize your tract good to summation its chances of ranking higher successful hunt results and person more integrated traffic.

Read these guides to get a foundational cognition of SEO:

The station 21 Google Search Tips to Find Exactly What You Want appeared archetypal connected Backlinko.

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