You're probably one of the many Google users in the world. Ever had those days that you were searching on Google and you couldn't find what you were looking for? Try these tips to optimize your search phrase so that you'll most likely find what you've been looking for.

1. Explicit phrase

   To search on the net for an exact word combination in Google, enclose your search within double quotes.

   Example: "google tips"

2. Exclude words

   To exclude words from the found webpages of Google, simply use the "-" symbol in front of the word you want to exclude.

   Example: "google tips" -advertising

3. Site specific search

   If you're looking on an specific phrase on a specific site (if it doesn't have a search function itself), use the "site:www.thesearchedsite.com" modifier.

   Example: "google tips" site:www.marcofolio.net

4. URL specific search

   In addition to my previous tip: What if you don't know the full site name? Of what if it has subdomains you want to search through? Use the "inurl:" modifier to search for things what is within the URL.

   Example: "google tips" inurl:www.marcofolio.net

5. Similar terms

   Use the "~" symbol in front of a search word to return similar terms or synonyms of that word.

   Example: "google tips" ~useful

6. Use a wildcard

   For example, if you're looking for some lyrics but you couldn't remember the full song, use the wildcard symbol "*" between te words. In the example Google will return the lyrics from The Beatles - Can't buy me love

   Example: can't * me love lyrics 

7. Specific document filetypes

   Looking for a file which has your search phrase in it? Try the "filetype:" modifier. This example will return all DOC (Microsoft Word) files.

   Example: "google tips" filetype:doc

8. This OR that

   By default, when you do a search, Google will include all the terms specified in the search. If you are looking for any one of one or more terms to match, then you can use the OR operator. (Note: The OR has to be capitalized or the "||" combination can be used).

   Example: "google tips" || "yahoo search"

9. Numeric ranges

   This little-known feature searches for a range of numbers. Looking for the best movies from 2002 untill now? Try the example (note the two periods between the two number).

   Example: best movies 2002..2007

10. Cached pages

    Looking for a version of a page the Google stores on its own servers? This can help with outdated or update pages. Use the "cached:" modifier.

    Example: cached: marcofolio.net

Hope you'll be able to use these. For more tips, visit Google here and here. If there's anything that's missing in the list above, feel free to post it in the comments.

Interested in this topic? You might enjoy another article I've written called

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