How to

Like a Pro

Pre-Search Considerations 1) Consider what you are trying to find. Can you focus in on the key ideas of

your query?2) Choose words you think will likely be on the page containing your

answer. Put yourself in the mindset of the author of the page with your result. For example, search for “broken arm” or “fractured arm” rather than “busted arm”.

3) Do not use full sentences. Extra words that aren’t a part of the central idea will bring in extraneous, off-topic results. Home in on the key components of the topic in which you are interested.

4) What words you include can affect the results. Try performing a search for “who”, “a who”, and “the who” to see the different kinds of results each yields.

5) Word order has a bearing on your results. Example: try searching for “sky blue” vs “blue sky”.

6)  Capitalization does not matter when performing a Google search.7) As long as your spelling is close to the correct spelling, Google will

perform your search with the correct spelling for you and display the message “showing results for [correctly spelled word]” at the top of the results page.

8) Special characters are generally not included in a query; Google will treat them as an empty space. The exceptions to this rule will be covered later in the “Utilizing Operators” section.

Reading the Search Results PageThe title of the webpage is in blue, the web address/URL immediately below it in green, and then a snippet from the page containing text that led the search engine to rank it as highly relevant. Some search results will also have links underneath that provide deeper access to the most popular page on that website. Example: search for WHO (World Health Organization). Particularly large/complex sites like this will often have a search box right on the results page allowing you to search within that other webpage. By looking closely at the URL and the snippet, you can glean much information about that webpage without having to go to it.

When performing a basic topic search, it will often yield a panel on the right hand side called a Knowledge Graph. This is a compilation of basic information about that topic including live links. The Knowledge Graph is an attempt to provide key information on significant subjects and show relationships with other topics. Example, a search for “The Who” will yield a panel on the right with basic information about the band, places to purchase their songs, band members, related acts, etc.

At the bottom of the page, Google will provide a list of related searches. This helps to explore some of the ideas and topics related to your query.

As you are typing your search, Google will provide suggestions in a drop down menu beneath the search box based on what other people have searched for including those characters. It will also make suggestions based on searches you have made before.

If your internet speed is fast enough, Google will also start showing webpage results as you type in an attempt to guide you toward results that may be relevant, but that perhaps you wouldn’t know how to formulate into a cohesive query. For example, let’s say there is a book you’re interested in but you aren’t certain of the title or the author. You remember the title included the word “oranges” and that it was by someone Scottish. As you type “oranges book” into the search box, the Amazon.com webpage for a book called “Oranges” by John McPhee is suggested before the enter key is even hit.

Finding Different Kinds of ContentIf you want a specific kind of result, you can limit your results to specific content types: news, videos, images, shopping, etc. (see below). Google has other content/format specific search options not listed here.  For a full list, along with descriptions, perform a search for

“google search features” or visit :

http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/features_list.html

Utilizing OperatorsOperator (noun) : a symbol or  word which represents a function (or instruction), rather than a search term. An operator is something extra you add to your query beyond the keywords to help filter results. There are many operators that one can use on Google. Each operator utilizes the same format:

operator[no space]:[no space]search term.  

1. Site Operator—will yield results from that particular website or a website type (e.g. .gov, .edu, etc.). To utilize a site operator perform your search like this:

  

Performing the above search will eliminate results about

the Miami Dolphins (for the most part), since educational

websites are more likely to cover the animal dolphin, as opposed to the sports team.

You will note that every result is from a “.edu” website.

2) File Type Operator—allows you to limit your results by file or document type: pdf, doc, docx, pptx, txt, etc. Simply add “filetype:doc” or “filetype:pdf”, etc. to your search.         3) Minus Operator—A hyphen placed in front of a term (no space) that you would like to have excluded from the results. Example: you are interested in salsa, the food, not the music or the dance.

4) Double Quotes—Lets the search engine know you want all the words in your search in the exact sequence in which you typed them. This is helpful for performing phrase searches, such as song lyrics or a specific name.

5) OR operator—Lets you search two similar ideas simultaneously, or the same idea that can be represented by two different words. This is an operator that increases your results, rather than eliminates them. For this operator to work, the “OR” must be capitalized. Additionally, if the separate terms are multiple words, you will need to include the double quotes operator from the previous example. Example: “casserole OR hotdish”.

6) Intext Operator—This operator tells Google that this

word(s) needs to appear within the contents of the webpage

itself, not just in the title.

Find Facts FasterIf you have an image and you want to know what it is or where it came from, Google has a function from their image search that allows you to do just that. Starting out at “images.google.com,” drag a picture from your computer onto the search box and drop it. Google will automatically identify or bring back results that are close.

There are many searches that you can perform to bring back quick results, for example: “capital of Mongolia”; “weather 43081”; “movies Columbus”; “time in Singapore”. Searches like these will bring up a brief answer at the top, often on the right, and sometimes including a list of related searches at the top or bottom of the results page.

Quick Info:

Google can be used as a calculator. Type in a mathematical formula and the answer will come up.         It may also be utilized as a conversion calculator. Simply follow the pattern of “number units in units”. Examples: “212F in C”; “400 yards in miles”; “250 usd in euros”; etc.

Google can be used as a dictionary. To utilize this function, perform a search for “define:word”. You can learn proper pronunciation by clicking the speaker, and translations, etymology and more by clicking the bar beneath the definitions.Example: define:chartreuse

Translate.google.com is a nifty resource that allows you to type in a word or phrase and have it translated into another language:

Some fun tricks to try on your own time: 

1. Askew: When you type ‘askew’ in the google search, it tilts the search results page.

2. Recursion: When you perform a search for ‘recursion,’ you will be asked, “did you mean Recursion?”

3. Do a Barrel Roll: This search will make the results page rotate.4. Zerg Rush: When you search for, ‘zerg rush,’ “alien” zeroes start falling

onto your results, crushing them until you’ve clicked on them three times.

5. Atari Breakout: Search for Atari breakout, then click over to the images results to play a fun, Atari style video game.

6. Define:Anagram: this will bring back the suggestion, “did you mean: nag a ram?”

7. The Microphone: clicking the microphone allows you to speak your searches; say things like, “make me a sandwich,” “show me something cool,” and “what time is it?” for fun responses.

8. Google in 1998: see what a google search looked like back in 1998!9. Set a Timer: If your egg timer battery dies, don’t fret. Type “set timer

for 15 minutes (etc)” and google will keep time for you!