10 Tips to Make the Most out of your Google Searches

4 min readMay 14, 2021

Photo source: Ann Smarty (2019)

When you think of “search engine” Google is most likely the first search engine that pops into your mind. Even with Google’s impressive algorithm and over 1.19 billion websites on the internet to date, it may be difficult to successfully search up a query and be satisfied with the presented results. Google gives you millions of results within a few seconds of your search, these results range from helpful to downright ridiculous, which becomes frustrating when looking for a specific answer.

However, using google syntax to refine your searches will not only save time but also be more effective when creating a search to get you closer to your desired answer.

Listed below are ten advanced google search tips to help you get the most of out google.

1. To search for an exact word or phrase
Type your word or phrase between two quotation marks (“…”).

Format: “[keyword 1] [keyword 2]”
Example: “outdoor dining in Toronto”

2. To correctly search for something on a specific site
Type site: in front of a site or domain followed by your search term. This will show search results from the specified website only.

Format: site:[website URL] [keywords]
Example: site:Forbes.com amazon

3. To correctly search for a definition
Type define: followed by your word of choice.

Format: define:[keyword]
Example: define:business

4. To search for a specific product available within a specific price range
Type in the product, followed by your price range with two periods between the prices. Remember to include dollar signs.

Format: [keywords] $[number]..$[number]
Example: Dining table $100..$200

5. To search for a specific filetype
Type in your keyword then filetype: followed by the file type extension.

Format: [keywords] filetype:[file type extension]
Example: how to learn French filetype:pdf

6. To include or ignore words in your search
To include a word, use a plus sign (+) in front of the word you want to include, with a space before the + sign and none after.

Format: [keywords] +[keywords to include]
Example: marketing tools +email

To ignore a word, use the subtract symbol (-) before the word you would like to ignore, with a space before the - sign and none after.

Format: [keyword to include] –[keyword to ignore]
Example: bass -fish

7. To find sites/pages similar to an existing one
Type related: followed by the URL of the site/domain.

Format: related:[website URL]
Example: related:forbes.com

8. To confirm the exact form of a quote even if you were missing some of the words
Include an asterisk (*) where there are missing words to act as a placeholder. A space is present before and after the asterisk.

Format: [keywords 1] * [keywords 2]
Example: Jack and Jill went up the * to fetch a pail of water

9. To search for pages containing two connected words
Type an underscore symbol (_) between the two connected words. There is no space between the underscore and the words.