10 Google Tips and Tricks for Perfect Search Results
In the marketing glossary you will find information on OnPage optimisation and on advantageous placement on Google and other search engines. But how do I use Google as someone who is searching? How do I shape a search query to my advantage? Anyone who looks into the topic comes to the conclusion: searching Google properly is by no means something everyone can do! The following tips are worth their weight in gold and will make your life easier in the age of Web 3.0. This is how you operate Google and other search engines like a pro!
1️ Use Quotation Marks
Put quotation marks around your search term when you are looking for results containing two keywords. Example: "eBesucher is". Google searches here for all results with exactly this operator. Note that the search term should not consist of too many individual words. If the operator consists of too many individual terms, no result may be displayed.
▶️ https://www.google.com/search?q="ebesucher+is"
2️ Asterisk or Star - The Wildcard
An asterisk is also known as a star (*). The star acts as a placeholder. Always place the star where you are searching for a term and want Google to complete the term. The star combines well with a search query that contains quotation marks. The placeholder search helps in particular to find better phrasings.
Example: "money * with eBesucher": the asterisk acts as a variable that is completed by Google whenever it finds matching terms. One possible SERP would accordingly be:
- Earning money with eBesucher
- Making money with eBesucher
- Receiving money with eBesucher
▶️ https://www.google.com/search?q="money+*+with+ebesucher"
3️ Exclude Terms
Use the minus (-) sign to require or to exclude search terms. Several operators can also be used at the same time here. Example:
- eBesucher -money: returns search results on eBesucher in which the term money does not appear.
▶️ https://www.google.com/search?q=eBesucher+-money
4️ Search Within a Website
Search on Google for a word on a particular website. Example: "money site:ebesucher.de". Only hits that contain the word money on the site eBesucher.de are displayed here. This is a very useful operator for searching on selected websites.
▶️ https://www.google.com/search?q=site:ebesucher.de
5️ Related:ebesucher.de - Googling Similar Websites
Enter related: followed by the website into the search field. The search engine names similar websites for you. A useful feature when you are looking for related projects. Even if Similarweb or other services still deliver better results here in some cases.
▶️ https://www.google.com/search?q=Related:ebesucher.de
6️ Link:ebesucher.de - Googling for Links
You have your own website and would like to know who is linking to you? Use Link:eBesucher.de to search for all websites that refer to eBesucher.de. To avoid internal links, use the minus symbol: link:ebesucher.de -site:ebesucher.de
Try it out:
- https://www.google.com/search?q=link:ebesucher.de
- https://www.google.com/search?q=link:ebesucher.de%20-site:ebesucher.de
7️ Search by File Type
The search result should appear in a particular file? Simply enter eBesucher filetype:pdf into Google. The search operator "pdf" can be replaced by any other file format.
▶️ https://www.google.com/search?q=ebesucher+filetype:pdf
8️ Calculating with Google
Google can not only search, it can also calculate. Enter an arithmetic problem into the search field and get the result on the SERP. Example: "160 / 4". You will now be shown the result and a calculator for further calculations. Beyond that, Google can convert currencies. You need the value of "100,000 Yen in Euro"? At the current rate that comes to 696.80 euros.
▶️ https://www.google.com/search?q=160/4
▶️ https://www.google.com/search?q=100,000+Yen+in+Euro
9️ Google Lens: Searching with an Image Instead of a Search Term
You are unsure which search terms you could use to narrow down your Google search more precisely? Use Google Lens to upload an image to Google. Google analyses the image and gives you a series of search results for it. Google Lens is supported by all modern web browsers such as Chrome or Firefox. Possible results of a search via Google Lens are:
- Search results that correspond to objects in the image
- Similar or identical images
- Websites that carry exactly this or a similar image
🔟 Use the Google Search Filter
The Google search filter is an often overlooked but thoroughly useful aid. With the language filter you narrow your search result down to the language of your choice. Via the time period search you determine when the content of your search was captured by Google. The latter is useful in particular when searching for news. With the e-book search you can go looking for current literature. Furthermore, you can search here for public domain images (Creative Commons licence) for free use.
Search Engines Are Intuitive
These tips are a great help for improving your search results. A search engine like Google, however, does everything it can to make searching as intuitive as possible. This is a fundamental requirement of the user. Completely different operators therefore often lead to the same result. Compare for instance "ebesucher earn money" with "how can I earn money with eBesucher".
Google always orients itself towards the behaviour of its users. Advanced search operators are only necessary when Google does not have sufficient metadata available and the user demands a result that the algorithm is not yet up to.
How Do I Search in Bing or Yahoo?
You use a search engine other than Google? Unfortunately, at the present time only some of the operators mentioned above also work in other search engines. A Google search brings more precise and more holistic results in most cases. Despite all the justified criticism, Google is by far the most useful search engine and delivers webmasters exclusive traffic.
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