Googling

Do you know how you should be Googling?

Googling is an art and ultimately can save you a lot of time when searching on any search engine. Of course, web design and SEO trends continually adapt and alter best practices in search engine optimization.  After all, a successful business will always have a website in line with the latest SEO trends. Overall, Google generally organizes web pages and websites; hence a website should help this process.

Though we will not cover SEO, we will cover some simple tips and tricks that make it easier for everyone to search. According to Mashable, 3 out of 4 students cannot perform a correct Google search. There was never a how-to Google 101 class that was available to the public. Google was handed to the human population, and it was so easy to follow. A person can literally look at it and know what to do exactly. When you look at the Google home page, it literally catches your eyes to type something on the search bar. Everything is very Self-explanatory; the website can easily be named one of the most user-friendly sites ever made—no fuss, just simply straightforward ergonomic searching.

Ultimately, googling for some things like “website costs,” “Local Website Developer,” or “Website Designer near me” is simple as a matter of typing it in the search box!

Optimizing Google Searches

There are plenty of ways to optimize google searching, and literally, anybody can do it. There are some pretty straightforward tips that we can get started on. These tips are somewhat self-explanatory, and some are not. These tips are just basic things you should never forget when conducting a google search that needs detailed results. Googling is a tool anyone can use, but very few have mastered Googling. Being able to find, narrow down, and pinpoint key places and articles is a skill. To Sharpen your next search, you can use some of these tips!

Keywords

Use as many keywords and target words as possible. When googling, you use these “keywords” and “tags” to sort through thousands of pages found in the database.  You need to provide as much inflation as possible to narrow the results available on a topic.

Stop Keywords

Stop words Such as “where, how, what, or” are unnecessary. They are called stop words as they do nothing but slow your search and get ignored. When searching, you can also exclude single digits and letters as they are excepted as well. If the stop word is wholly needed, you can use a “+” in front of the stop word to include it in your search. The more words you put in, the more specific the search is going to be. With that being said, try to remember as many words as possible when looking up a song or book. Using quotes narrows down your results and minimizes Google’s guesswork. It will locate specific parts of the web page and bring that forward one search results.

Other Google Sub Sites for Googling

Yes, different Google sites are used for various purposes and more specific results. Google Scholar is Google but only shows you academic-related results and research, papers, and more credible sources. This will probably be your best bet if you are looking for material and sources for school-related work. There are also Google maps that give you obvious maps to any location found by a satellite. Furthermore, Google Blog Search only shows blog posts and articles, while Google Book Search only shows your current content for prints and books.

Additionally, Google News lets you search for current news and older news articles. Google Video enables you to search for just videos. If you are ever searching for a more specific category or type of information, consider these different kinds of Google search engines to help you out.

“Search”

Now that we have established the basics, we can now move forward to the more intricate part of Google searches. It’s somewhat things that we did not know about, like a bunch of secret formulas that will surely help to narrow your search results. Putting “search:” in front of a specific website will make Google search within the said website instead of giving you results that can be found everywhere. Even certain symbols can make your search a lot better. When you use quotation marks around two or more words, it’ll search the words as a combined term and give a more phrase-specific result. This symbol right here ~ shows you results similar to the words you have entered, somewhat like synonyms. If you are looking for a range like let’s say news articles from 2000 to 2002 using “..” in between those two years will give you a range.

Increase Search Results

Adding certain words in front of your search can also increase your chances of finding what you are looking for. You can also broaden your search to related topics with the “related.” This tool allows Google to find topics and articles that go along with your original search. You can also use the “:” with the term “location.” “Location:” will search all news.

If you type in “filetype:” and the kind of file you would like, Google will only narrow it down to those types of files. Putting in “author:” will do the same thing but will reveal results that a specific author has written and published in the past. Also, as you could see from the picture above, adding “define:” before any word you would like to be defined would do just that.

Reverse Google Image Search

There are plenty of things that not many people know about being more efficient at Google searching, such as reverse google image search. A person can drag a picture into the search bar, and Google will show where exactly the image can be found on the internet and related images and websites corresponding to the image. Users can also compare and contrast right about anything by just putting the term “vs.” in between.

Translations

Translations are a common issue for most searchers. Google has a great teacher of being able to translators and phrases. You do this by searching {word} “to” {language}. This will translate anything into many languages.

Verbatim Mode

You can also use Google “verbatim” mode found under the all results Tab. This will force Google to only search for that precisely. To find a cached version of a web page, you can use the modifier “cache:” this will display older versions of the webpage. When looking for a specific IP address, you type the IP address, and Google will display your IP address. Googling etymology plus a word will give you the roots of words and phrases found in the Google index. Using the google around feature is extremely helpful when searching. You can type. “Word around (#) word,” and if in the designated number both words appear, it will display the result.

Discussion Pages

When looking for discussion pages and web forms, you can type “form” to the end of any search string, and all forms related to the topic searched will be displayed. Putting a slash between a first and the last name will. Give you results for just that name together instead of the two names separate in any way. When searching for tech issues and simple fix stuff, you can add [SOLVED] to the end of your search to find the solution faster. You can search pages using the “allinurl:” to find instances of words on a webpage.

Googling Instant Weather Report

Google can also provide you with an instant weather report anywhere you are located simply by searching for the weather plus your location. Giving you all parts of the weather you would receive from any other reports. You will learn everything from wind speeds to sunrise and sunset. This gives you the tools you need to prepare yourself daily. When following any sports teams, google features unique schedules and scores for the recognized teams weekly, allowing you to closely follow them and locate broadcasts and times faster than ever.

Math Conversions

This can be quickly done by stating what amount you already have and what you would like to convert it to for converting different units. You can also Google to solve math questions. It might sound tricky but enter it on the search bar like you would on a calculator. Just a reminder, when googling equations, use parentheses to be more specific. Google has its built-in Tip calculator. Just type in the calculator, and you can adjust your tip based on % and price of your meal. Also build in is a stopwatch and timer accessible anywhere just by using the words in the search engine. As soon as you search it, the countdown will automatically start.

Googling Hacks

There other hacks to make googling a breeze that doesn’t have anything to do with the search bar. If you have a Mac computer, this will be a total lifesaver. Pressing Command + L will let you automatically type on to the search bar instead of hovering your cursor at it. Sometimes PDF files are too small to read and so pressing Command + (+/-) lets you zoom in on the material. Command + F enables you to search for specific words, and Google will reveal results with the said words already highlighted.

Voice Command

Google also has a bunch of fun features that you can use when you are bored. For example, if you use the voice command and tell Google “I love you,” it will use its love quote generator and give you a love quote in return. One more neat function is if you find yourself stuck in between two things you cannot choose from, you can ask Google to flip a coin for you. Other great web technologies are based around voice recognition, for example, Amazon’s Alexa. You may want to give Alexa a try, just another way of searching for content!

Takeaway on Googling

With the correct terms and skills, finding accurate search results are accessible. Google provides hundreds of shortcuts for users to discover and utilize. Many of the modifiers provided for Google are part of the Boolean type search functions allowing it to be used by nearly everyone even without the proper search functions. When using some of these tips, try them on other Boolean-type search engines like Yahoo! Advanced search, MSN Search, and Hotmail. Google tools such as the calculator and coin help provide a unique and fun experience for all users. At the same time, the speedy and concise search function provides the user with thousands of pages filled with information about nearly any topic.

To further your experience, you can add several toolbars as well as Chrome to your computer. Chrome is a web browser further optimized for searching the web and finding new informative and innovative ways to get you the information and entertainment you need for google. Without proper key terms and modifiers, Google cannot be used to its full extent. When properly used, Google can provide the user with any information available.

Finally, not all information is exact, as some web designers and SEO marketers may not work within the rules to optimize websites to gain website traffic and not attract customers. With that said, Google is no doubt working on improving the user experience through the likes of its AI algorithms. For example, Google Duplex is one of many technologies that will alter how we find content. Also, SEO trends will continue to change and adapt as new technologies and mediums come on board. For example, smart homes, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home will indeed shift the stage as to how we “Google.”

As a Seattle web design & SEO agency, we build websites and effectively write content to be indexed higher on search engines. Whether it’s a new website, online marketing, or starting a social media campaign, we can help your business.