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11 Easy Ways To Get The Most Out Of Google Searches

Posted on September 15, 2015

When you think about it, Google is the smartest thing you know. Let's just face it, it is effectively alive. It grows, it uses energy, it adapts. And as one of the best resources available to you for all of your questions, you should know how best to use it. Below are some quick tips on just how best you can search using Google.

1. Use Quotation Marks When You Know What You're Searching For

Putting a phrase in quotation marks preserves the exact phrase you are searching for, right down to the spacing. So if you're looking for an old quote or a song lyric or something where the exact order of the words are known, toss some quotation marks around it and Google can do the rest.

2. Use Asterisks When You Don't Know What You're Searching For

Do you remember part of that one saying you've been trying to remember but can't quite recall exactly how it goes? Use an asterisk mark as a placeholder for the worlds you can't remember and Google will essentially fill in the blank.

3. Exclude Words You Know Aren't What You're Looking For

Have you ever been looking for something and Google gets it entirely wrong? You want Da Vinci coffee syrups instead of Leonardo Da Vinci or keep getting news on the Pittsburgh Pirates when all you want is a history lesson on real pirates? Put a hyphen directly in front of the words you want excluded and Google will send you back results that do not include that word.

4. Find Out How Much You Need To Tip

Using Google as a tip calculator is kind of like using a top of the line gaming computer to play Solitaire, but you still can do it. Just type in "tip" and then the check amount. Google allows you to change the tip percentage to give you the tip and the new total and even change the number of people in your party so you know how much each should pay.

5. Set Price Ranges While Shopping

If you have a price range on something you are shopping for, insert the product (stereo) then the price range you are thinking, seperated by two periods ($100..$500). This will tell Google to find products not only matching your keyword search, but also prices found between your price range.

6. Never Use A Dictionary Again

If you need to look up the definition of a word, simply search "define" and then whatever you are wanting to figure out. Google will give you the definition, a pronounciation guide, use it in a sentence, its language of origin and far more.

7. Search A Specific Website For Information

If you are looking for information from one specific website, start your search with "site:" followed by the domain you are looking to search. If you have any addition search parameters, type them after. So for example, if you wanted to find movies with Brad Pitt specifically on Rotten Tomatoes, you would search for "site:rottentomatoes.com Brad Pitt."

8. Search For Related Sites

Similar to the site search above, you can find comparble sites by searching "related:" followed by the site name. So if you are looking for sites like YouTube, you would search "related:youtube.com" and would likely get Vimeo, DailyMotion, and other video based sites in your search results.

9. Drag and Drop In An Image

You don't even need words to search using Google's ridiculously easy Reverse Image search. Just open up Google and drag an image into the search field. Google will track it down for you.

10. Set A Timer

Need to head out to that meeting in ten minutes but have some last minute stuff to do? Just search "timer" in Google and it will give you a countdown.

11. Search By File Type

If you are looking for a specific file type in your search, just add in filetype:(the name of the extension) with your search. So if you were looking for PDFs on rain water, you would just search "rain water filetype:pdf" and Google will only provide PDF search results.

These are just the tip of the iceberg when using Google. You can filter your results by date or location. Easily find currency conversions. Track down movie times. Google continues to make it easier and easier to find the information you are looking for, including many updates recently to be more "conversational" in their searches. It just keeps becoming a better and better friend.

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