Friday, August 26, 2011

Google Search Tips You Must Know

This is a post that is complimentary to Google Search tips part one which i have covered here some time ago now it is time that i provide you with a detailed post about most if not all the search tips you need to master Google search techniques.
Billions of people are using Google search services everyday but not all of them know how to harness Google search algorithm to suit there queries and some even end up wasting time in some seamy sites. As educators you should never be one of these people who just type in a couple of words in its search bar and hit “ i am lucky” to start sifting through results which can sometimes be completely irrelevant. This is a cyber age , time counts so much and we have other things to do instead of just sitting in front of a computer for hours searching terms in such a broad way that even Google robot gets mad at. Believe it or not ,  Google robot can know the type of person you are and how smart you are just from the keywords of your search query and if he realizes that  the searcher is stupid then he would automatically provide stupid results , this is just as simple as this. Search robots do not read our intentions but analyze what we offer them. There are thousands of WebPages related to your search terms and unless you know exactly what to target in your query than expect the worse.


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Today i am introducing you to the best Google search tips that you need to be aware of in order to conduct relevant searches. All the tips mentioned here are included in Google Inside Search.

The Basics


Spell Checker


If you want to search using terms that you are not sure how they are spelt then don’t fret over this , Google spell checker automatically corrects your spelling.

Use unique words


The more unique your words are the more specific your results will be for example celebrity ringtones’ is better than ‘celebrity sounds’

Cases


when you type in a term do not worry about cases because search is not case sensitive therefore ‘time magazine’ is the same as ‘Time Magazine’

Web History


Web history is a webpage where all your previous searches are collected you can access this page and have a look at all the search queries you have conducted anytime. Just log on to www.google.com/history

Be simple


Always try to keep your search terms as simple as possible for example if you are looking for a hotel in a certain place then you need to type in the name of the hotel along with the town or zip code. You should also keep your search terms as short as possible two words are better than a bunch of irrelevant terms.

Punctuations


This is not an issue here because search ignores all of them

Use web-friendly words


Search robots use a matching algorithm to render the results , they mainly match your search terms to pages with the same words so instead of typing my tooth hurts its better to write toothache

Fast Facts


Find related pages


If you find a page and you want to look for similar content in other pages then use the related: operator.

Track Your Packages


If you want to track your UPS, FedEx, or USPS packages just type in its serial number in Google search box and you will get its status.

Get Definitions


If you want to get a definition of a word just type in define: followed by the word you want to define

Calculator


If you want to make a calculation just enter the the equation and you ll get the results

Search Time


To search the time of any country just type in time followed by the name of the country or city you want

Currency Exchange


To get current exchanges just type in currency 1 in currency 2. for instance i want to convert 10Euro into Dollars then i have to write 10 euro in dollars.

Search By File Type


To search for specific kinds of files then all you have to do is write your search query followed by : and and the 3-letter file abbreviation. for instance i want to look for a pdf about mobile learning i will type in Mobile Learning: pdf.

Find Related Pages


To find related pages to a website you like just type in related: followed by the url of the website you liked

Search for An Exact Phrase


to search for an exact phrase you just need to put quotation marks around the words example; “ to be or not to be “.

Search within a specific site


Precede your query with site: if you know you want your answer from within a specific site or type of site (.org, .edu). For example: site:edu or site:nytimes.com


Highlight words


If for instance you are looking for the ingredients of a  recipe and you want to highlight some parts you use + followed by the items and if you want to exclude other items you just precede them with minus sign – example ; salsa recipe +avocado –tomatoes

Advanced Image Search


To search images by their  size, color, style or type you just need to use the tools on left panel

Search The web in all Languages


When you're searching, click "More search tools" on the left panel of your results page, then select "Translated foreign pages." The feature will choose the best language in which to search and deliver results translated back in English.

Search for Recipes


To search for a recipe you need to use the tools on the left panel and select recipes

Search for zip codes and area codes


Just type it in the search box and you will know where it belongs to

Shop and compare across the web


Use the "Shopping" link on the left panel on the results page to shop for products and compare prices across the web

Search with location


If you want to look for example for a restaurant near you just type in the name of the restaurant followed by the zip code of the city and you will get instant results

Get Movies


Search on a movie name or just movie to see theater locations and showtimes in your area

Check the Weather


To check the weather of a certain place just type in weather followed by a  zip code or the name of any city in the world to get the current weather and forecast. Example ; weather chicago

Get Flight Schedules


To see flight schedules to or from a particular destination, type flights from or flights to followed by the city or airport of interest. You can also add another location with to or from and view the schedule for a specific route.

Map your Location


To get the location of any city in a map just type in the city name or zip code followed by the word [map], and you'll see a map of that location. Click on the map to see it on Google Maps. for example : New York map.

Filter results by reading levels


Sort your results by reading level by clicking on Advanced Search and filtering the results into basic, intermediate and advanced reading levels.

These were some of the best Google search tips you need to know in order to better use Google search engine. I hope educators and students would put to practice some of what they have learnt here. Remember the ultimate goal is to enhance learning through the use of technology.

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