Google is a staple in pretty much any office, even if only as a search engine. How can you make sure you’re getting the results you want to see? One way you can do so is by adjusting your Google searches in various ways to refine the results you get. Here’s how you can do it without sifting through dozens of returned results that are useless or irrelevant.
Quotes Can Help You Find Specific Instances of Phrases
You can search for a specific phrase exactly as it appears by wrapping it in quotes. This is helpful if you have a quote that you want to source, or perhaps a statistic of some sort. Google can return searches for known quotes and passages to help you figure out exactly where your chosen search phrase came from.
Asterisks Can Replace Words You’re Unsure Of
Have you ever searched for song lyrics without knowing what those lyrics are? It’s frustrating, as is any situation where you know most of what you need to search for, but it’s not quite enough. You can use an asterisk in place of any word you’re unsure of and the search results will take that into account.
The Minus Sign Can Omit a Word from Your Search
Just as frustrating is searching for something, then getting results entirely unrelated to what you’re looking for. You can use a minus sign to eliminate certain phrases or words from your search so you can be more likely to get just what you’re looking for.
The Colon Can Help You Search Specific Websites
You can search specific websites for your search term if you use a colon in front of it. This helps you further narrow down your search results so you’re not getting bogged down by results from unwanted websites.
Use these tips to spend less time finding your ideal search results on Google and take back your workday. For more tips and tricks on how to more effectively use your technology, be sure to keep your eyes on our blog.
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