7 Tips to Maximize Your Experience with Google
Version 0.5
Here are some tips to get the most relevant results for your search query making efficient use of your time using Google. Search Google effectively.
Enter only the main keywords
Many users of Google simply enter an exact phrase, for instance
where does bill gates liveThe above phrases can be enhanced greatly by specifying only the keywords
bill gates location
Enter the exact phrase
Searching using the exact phrase yields more accurate result as Google does not have to guess whether each word is a word on its own. The above search can be further refined by
"bill gates" location
Remove keywords likely to confuse Google
There are may users in the world with the name Bill. Of them, Bill Clinton would appear the most in the search engine results as he is a popular person too.
If the search engine results contain too many instances of Bill Clinton, you can tell Google that you are not interested in Bill Clinton by specifying the "-" (minus) symbol
"bill gates" location -clinton
Be specific
Be as specific as you can. Instead of specifying
microsoft founder house location, be more specific and specify the name -bill gates location.Of course, specifying
microsoft founder house locationwill still be accepted by Google, but the results will not be as relevant.
Keep it simple
Google is a computer program, not a live being. It bases your search on many factors including queries people have done on the past and how they eventually found the information they wanted.
This is why, typing
where does bill gates livein the search box is returns relevant results. Some unlucky mortals had to dig through the listing of irrelevant results and finally ended up at a page which gave the answer. Google noted this and hence moved the site up the search engine ranking.
Get the latest updated pages
There are times when you just want the latest pages and not some week old or years old pages. Simply search for your query, click the More link on the left navigation and then click on the Updates link.
This will show results as they appear in realtime sorted by the latest page first. That means, the search results will automatically add new results to the top as they appear. Great to keep updated on the latest news on a particular subject.
Note though, that these results are mainly from Twitter and Facebook where users like you and me post updates. You can remove sites from appearing by using the minus and site operator. So for example, to remove all twitter postings, you enter
bill gates -site:twitter.comand twitter.com results will not appear. To remove Facebook sites as well, you would enterbill gates -site:twitter.com -site:faceobook.comand Facebook entries are removed.
Search one or more specific sites
Sometimes, using Google search engine is better than using a site's own search engine. Use the
site:operator to limit results only from one particular domain.So to search only microsoft.com, the query would be
bill gates site:microsoft.comTo search multiple domains, things get a little bit more complicated. The OR operator comes into play to tell Google to pull results from two domains. Hence the query to search from microsoft.com as well as wikipedia.org would be
bill gates site:microsoft.com OR site:wikipedia.orgFor frequent searches across multiple domains, you may want to try Google Custom Search instead.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do I delete or clear my search history in Google?
First, try logging out from Google by clicking on the Sign Out link at the top right from any Google.com page.
If you want to erase and pause Google from recording your web search history from your account, go to https://www.google.com/history, click Remove items on the left column and then click Clear entire Web History ยป and then click Clear History. This will clear your account's search history as well as stop Google from recording your searches to your Google Account.
To delete your browser's complete search history, follow the instructions for your browser.
If the browser window header on top says "Internet Explorer".
- Click on Tools, Internet Options
- Click on 'Delete...' or 'Clear History '
- Place a checkmark in all the checkboxes (if any) except for 'Preserve Favorites website data' if it exists
- Click the 'Delete all...' button if it exists
- Click Yes to the confirmation if it appears
For older versions of Internet Explorer (specifically IE6), an additional step is required
- Click on Tools, Internet Options
- Click on Content
- Click on AutoComplete
- Click on Clear Forms and then OK to the confirmation dialog
- Click on Clear Passwords and then OK to the confirmation dialog
If the browser window header on top says "Firefox".
- Click on Tools, Options
- Click on Privacy
- Click on "Clear Now...". If this option does not exist,
- Click OK
- Click on Tools, Clear Recent History
- Under 'Time range to clear', select Everything
- Make sure all the checkboxes are checked.
- Click Clear Now
- On the dialog that appears, place checkmarks across all items
- Click 'Clear Private Data Now'
How do I search for someone in Google?
There are typically many methods one could use to search for someone in Google
- Search for the exact phrase in Google. For example, if the person's name is "Bill Gates", then you would search for
"Bill Gates"
in Google. This will most likely turn up the Facebook account as the first result. However, those who set their Facebook accounts to private will not be listed. You can try searching by the first name and middle name. - Search using the person's email address. For example, if the person's e-mail is billgates@gmail.com, try the following search terms
"billgates@gmail.com"
or
billgates
in Google - Search using the person's pseudo name. This is the name the person uses when posting comments or participating in forums. For example, if the person's pseudo name is billgates, try the following search terms
"billgates"
or
"bill gates"
in Google
Can I search my hard disk contents using Google? Sure you can - and as usual, it is free! It is called Google Desktop.
What do people mean when they ask you to Google?
It is a short handed way of telling you to search using Google for the answer.
Are there games developed by Google?
Yes, there are two games, one is Pacman and the other is Google Image Labeler.
How do I advertise on Google?
You can advertise on Google using Google Adwords.
This is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Search ranking is determined by many factors, some which are widely known and some which are secret. Read a list of SEO tips.
Last Updated 18th July 2010.
Errors? Omissions? Need Help? Know something? Post your queries in the comments below.
This document is Copyright(©) 2010 by G.Ganesh. Visit Bootstrike.Com (http://bootstrike.com).
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