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10 Google search secrets

Summary: If you're looking for unique Google search tips, you've come to the right place. These are 10 Google search secrets that not even some of the most astute searchers are aware of!

Stephen Chapman

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Google search secrets: Intro

Everyone knows how to pop a search term into Google and hit the search button, but very few realize the true power of Google. In this short-but-revealing gallery, I uncover 10 little-known facets of Google that are guaranteed to make even the most astute searcher a better searcher. A few of the topics I will be covering are how to search FTPs with Google; how to block sites from your search results; and how to search Google Docs. If you're an advanced Google search novice, that's okay! Just be sure to read the recommended articles beneath each description in this gallery and they'll turn you into a pro in no time. And now, without any further ado, here are 10 Google search secrets.

Recommended Reading:

 

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Topics: Apps, Browser, Cloud, Google

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25 comments
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  • simply awesome

    This article would have been even more brilliant if it had a comlete list of advanced search operators.
    I wonder if there is a site like msdn, or a book with definitions and examples.
    ForeverSPb
    Reply Vote

    • Master Joe Says...There Sure Is

      If you go to Amazon.com, there are some books with just that. There are books on penetration testing with Google, as well as some books on Advanced Google Searching. These help you to use advanced search techniques to find all kinds of stuff on Google that you wouldn't find without them. I haven't actually purchased any myself, but the reviews on technical books are usually pretty useful in determining which are good and which are a waste of money. I won't recommend any specific ones, since, like I said, I haven't used any myself. But, since you asked, I figured it was worth pointing out.

      --Master Joe
      SteelCityPC
      Reply Vote

      • And I have a bunch of them, too!

        Indeed, there are plenty of books that are great for this. If you're interested, the most comprehensive set of books you could purchase at the moment are "Google Power Search" from O'Reilly, and "Google Hacking Volume 2" from Syngress. Pick those up and you will be immersed in the world of Google advanced search for years to come!

        -Stephen
        StephenChapman
        Reply Vote

    • [ Comment Removed by me & placed in another thread. ]

      [ Comment Removed by me & placed in another thread. ]
      EZ411
      Reply Vote

      • Incomplete, sadly.

        Unfortunately, Google's official list there is sorely lacking. I'll have to write up a piece about all the search operators they make available sometime soon.

        -Stephen
        StephenChapman
        Reply Vote

    • Google-Search Help has the Search-Operators you seek...

      [b]ForeverSPb[/b] said, [q]"This article would have been even more brilliant if it had a complete list of advanced [u]search operators[/u]."[/q]

      Google-Search Help has the Search-Operators you seek; they're just not EZ to find. After spending 10 min stumbling through a myriad of help pages, I found it.

      What I found is that the following page is [i]the best place to start from whenever you need Google-Search help[/i].
      - "[b]Search Features[/b]":
      http://www.google.com/help/features.html
      - Click [[b]Advanced Search[/b]] in the left-hand column to load "[b]Operators and more search help[/b]".

      All the best! Steven (^.^)
      http://www.diigo.com/user/ez-411
      EZ411
      Reply Vote

      • Why the repost?

        Not sure why you felt the need to repost the exact same thing again, but I'll once again add that their list is very incomplete. They do not discuss "inurl:," "intitle:," "intext:," "filetype:," "define:," and many, many others. I'll write a post soon that lists and explains all of them.

        In the mean time, for any of you who might be interested, my first search ninja post discusses a handful of them at length: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/seo/how-to-become-a-search-ninja-harnessing-the-true-power-of-google-part-1/1881

        -Stephen
        StephenChapman
        Reply Vote

  • Awesome

    my roomate's step-sister made $19634 past month. she gets paid on the internet and bought a $452200 home. All she did was get lucky and use the advice explained on this link N U T T Y R I C H . C O M
    wanda02
    Reply Vote

  • I am already a better searcher.

    I dumped Google long ago, and get far better results without all of the spyware, hijacked links, and malware infested results that Google dishes out.
    itpro_z
    Reply Vote

    • what replaced it

      itpro_z;
      Since you dumped Google long ago, what are you using in its place?
      rlmink
      Reply Vote

      • I don't know about itpro_z, however

        for my search queries I have found StartPage a very good replacement for Google. DuckDuckGo has it's uses also.
        aussiedawg
        Reply Vote

      • @aussiedawg:

        You do realize that StartPage uses Google's search results, right?
        Grammarphile72
        Reply Vote

      • Bing

        I have tried various search engines over the years, but have settled on Bing for my default. I consistently find what I am looking for with Bing, without having to wade through thousands of garbage links like with Google.
        itpro_z
        Reply Vote

    • Instead of Google...

      Years ago I switched over to using metacrawler(dot)com. A tech I knew told me about it and I've hardly used anything else since. It searches the other search engines for you (google, yahoo, bing) and can be tweaked as needed.
      HawaiiBound
      Reply Vote

      • Meh.

        I've used metacrawler, dogpile, and similar meta search engines over the years. They were great back when search engines returned drastically different results. But now they are no better than picking one search engine and sticking with it. Not to mention, Yahoo now uses Bing's search index.
        Grammarphile72
        Reply Vote

  • Very cool - how about Bing?

    I use the 'site:' one religiously, but the others (inurl, filetype, etc) I am curious to know if Bing has implemented? Could we get a similar article on the ninja-searchness available there?
    bc3tech
    Reply Vote

    • Sure!

      I'd be happy to do something like this with Bing! Believe it or not, Bing has a number of advanced operators for their search engine that Google doesn't make available for theirs (though there are good reasons as to why). I'll do a Bing gallery soon, as well as a search ninja post that focuses on Bing. Stay tuned! :)

      -Stephen
      StephenChapman
      Reply Vote

      • optimization in BING

        Sir , please send me some tips for optimization in BING. Iam a seo fresher from India.

        Jerry
        jerry mathew
        Reply Vote

    • Bing and define

      I use IE with Bing as the default engine.
      The keyword <b>define</b> is utilised by the Bing engine without having to remeber where or how to use punctuations or separations - i.e. you can use it in front or at the back of the sought word or even in its full length - as in definition. Also, a very quick and useful - in that particular browser - is when you type (insert your word here) <I>.... define</I> in the url of the browser and it automatically takes you to the definition results page, skipping the process where you first load the actual bing / google page to input the word.

      EDIT: Phrase structure correction.
      fo128
      Reply Vote

  • Google search

    All fine and dandy ... but I switched to Bing not to long ago and not going back....
    DJK2
    Reply Vote
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