Google Like a Pro
What did we ever do before Google existed? How did we ever find out how many ounces were in a cup or what year a particular movie released? If you’re like me, you probably use Google at least a few times every day. It’s crazy useful.
Because we all use Google so often, here are a few tips that will make your searching more effective and efficient.
#1 Use Quotes for Exact Phrases
Adding quotes to your search phrase tells Google to only find web pages with those exact words in that exact order.
(Example: “coffee table”) This will only show results that say coffee table so we don’t get results about coffee to drink or coffee shops.
#2 Use a Hyphen to Exclude Words
Adding a hyphen before a word tells Google to exclude all results that include that word.
(Example: How to ride a bike – motorcycle) This will only give us results on how to ride a bicycle and will exclude anything that is related to motorcycle riding.
#3 Use a Colon to Search Only a Specific Website
Most websites have a search bar, but if it doesn’t, you can always turn to Google. Enter your search terms followed by “site:” and the website’s URL.
(Example: Fashion site: www.iaww.online) This will return results that contain Film but only from the iAWW website.
#4 Use an Asterisk When You Can’t Remember a Word
An asterisk tells Google that a word should be there but you don’t know what it is. This is great for song lyrics.
(Example: “Once I had a * and it was a *”) This should return the lyrics to the popular Blondie song, “Heart of Glass.”
#5 Do Math
The inner geek in me loves this about Google. You can do all sorts of math problems. Google can even use formulas to calculate dimensions of shapes and things like that.
(Example: 81 / 9) This will return the answer to 81 divided by 9 which is 9.
(Example: circumference of a circle with 6-inch radius) This will use the correct formula to determine the circle has circumference of 37.7 inches.
(Example: Pi) This will bring up the value of pi which is 3.14159265359.
#6 Find Things Nearby
Just use the word “nearby” and Google will use your location to find results near your current location.
(Example: yoga nearby) This will return results of yoga studios near you.
#7 Track Your Packages
This one is super handy. Just enter your tracking number from UPS, USPS, or FedEx into Google and it’ll track your package.
(Example: 9999 9999 9999 999)
These are just a few tips. Have you heard of any others?
By T. DeRose
