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Intro To Google Tricks

First, it must be mentioned that this is not a post that contains the actual host of Google Tricks we highlight here on the Google Tricks site. So if you want to skip the chit-chat and get right to the meaty-juicy, navigate to the Google Tricks For Search page for tips to help you refine your search results to razor sharpness. Or navigate to the Funny Google Tricks if you’re looking for the Easter Eggs and Doodles and Barrel Rolls and belly laughs. For all of you curious to find out a little bit of context, read on!

Without a quick and handy manual for Google searches, it’s easy (for the lazy like me, at least) to passively accept the sometimes disappointing search results that are returned for terms without any of the basic or advanced search tricks applied.

This is not at all to say that the results are typically mediocre. No, Google impresses me all the time. With this little gem from last night for example: the missus and I wanted some of that bloody mary mix we love so much the spicy stuff, the pickle people, the…. what was it called…?

She opened her laptop and typed into the Google search field “pickles Brooklyn Detroit.” MacClure’s. Bam. #1 with a bullet. Great Bloody Mary mix, by the way, if you’re into the punishment-high of six-alarm tomato juice, that is. (Brooklyn and Detroit are their two locations, if you’re not already familiar). But I digress. You’re here for the Google Tricks!

google tricks

Here’s a few Search Tips to wet your palate:

Most searchers know that wrapping your phrase in double quotes will return results that include that phrase exactly, and fewer – but still many – know that a minus sign (-) before a keyword will remove results with that word in them. But this is merely the tip of the iceberg.

By way of example, were you aware that you can drop an image into the Google image search to get information about the image? A face, for example, can return you the identity of the person, an object can return more information about that object, or visually similar images. This tool alone is incredibly powerful. Though I hope your vanity search turns out better than mine:

image search google trick

Further still, on top of these basic Google Tricks there is a sort of second level of sophistication:

There are “info:” searches that can help you learn more about a particular website, such as how Google’s cached page of the site looks, what external sites link to it, and how many of its pages are indexed by Google.

Or you can perform a “site” search, either by simply searching [site:examplesite.com] or if you’re looking for something in particular you could add a keyword, like so: [site:examplesite.com +”keyword”].

Info and Site searches are just two of the lesser bodies in the great constellation of Google Search Tricks. Please move on the Google Tricks for Search page to really step up your search game or head over to the Google Tricks for fun if you’re just here for the yuks.

Got any of your own Google Tricks we haven’t mentioned? Share them with the rest of us by commenting below!

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