When it comes to answers and searching for something, Google is probably next to God. Though other search engines (especially Bing) also do rather well, it’s usually the barebones white page we head for. Google may be ‘God’ for us on the online world, but it doesn’t have HIS all-embracing vision. It often needs direction with the right kind of search operators. Google search operators help us hit the bull’s eye faster, so it really makes sense to mug them all. This beginner tutorial is the first of a series. Today, let’s cover some of the basic search operators:
Points to remember:
- Google search is case insensitive. New York is same as new york. Some operators (like AND & OR) are case sensitive.
- Every word is used, so it’s best to keep your search terms (keywords) precise and short.
- With a few exceptions, punctuation is ignored by Google Search.
The Basic Seven Google Operators
Lets check out the basic operations that can aid you in searching faster.
1. AND or +
Using either AND or + forces Google to include a particular keyword in the search. Using either of these operators you can combine two keywords in one search. Google includes all pages where both keywords occur. The “AND” must be in caps and there is no space after the “+”
E.g. google+recruitment
2. – (The Minus Sign)
The minus operator does the reverse. It gives you search results without the keyword placed after the operator. The – sign suggests that you want to subtract or exclude pages that have a specific term. Do not put a space between the – and the word you want to exclude.
E.g. google -recruitment
3. ~ (Tilde)
The tilde symbol generally suggests ‘similar to’. Use it to search for a specific word and for the word’s synonyms. Google says that the tilde operator works best when applied to general terms and terms with many synonyms.
E.g. ~jokes
4. OR or |
Using OR (in uppercase) or the vertical bar with two or more keywords tells Google to search for pages that contain either of the words. Note that in this case there is a space after the vertical bar.
E.g. computer OR laptop
5. ” ” (Double Quotes)
E.g. “I have a dream”
6. * (The Asterisk)
E.g. “How to * my life”
7. .. (The Double Dot)
These seven Google operators are the basic ones you can use for everyday search. Gradually, we will dive into the more advanced and specialized operators on our way to becoming a Google search hotshot.
Last updated on 02 February, 2022
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