Revisiting Google Search

If you have a device connected to the internet, you probably use Google Search. Are you getting the most out of your searches?  

THE BASICS 

If you are searching for specific words, put those words in quotation marks. If you want to rule out any search results, just put a minus sign before the word—e.g., cardinals-St. Louis indicates I want the bird, not the baseball team. 

BEYOND BASICS 

Use an asterisk for words you can’t remember. This usually works best for lyrics or headlines. 

Using OR and AND.  Adding the capitalized AND or OR to your search to help narrow down your results. AND means you want both terms. OR means that either of the words should be in the search results. 

Search through old newspaper articles. If you need an older newspaper article that may or may not have been posted online, head over to news.google.com/newspapers.  

Search for specific file type. You can use Google to search for certain types of files, such as PDF’s, audio files, or PowerPoint presentations. Just add “filetype:pdf” (or the extension for whatever type file you are looking for) to your search, and Google will narrow the search. 

Location search To narrow your search to a specific part of the world, just add “location:texas” (or wherever you are  looking). This is very helpful if you are planning a trip and looking for restaurants.  

The next time you are searching, try one of these suggestions beyond the basic search!