May 2006 / Smarter Google Searching

No matter how many additional services Google rolls out; their powerful web search engine is still the number one reason why people keep coming back. Here are a few tips that will help you perform more accurate Google web searches. Please keep in mind that Google is constantly updating it's smart seach capabilities. We'd suggest that you check back with us to learn about more ways to search Google.

• Phrase the question you are typing in the search engine in the form of an answer instead of a question. For example: instead of asking, "What is the average snowfall in Boston?" you might want to try typing, "The average snowfall in Boston is.” 
• Place quotes around phrases that must be exact. For example: if you put quotes around the words, "Staples Network Services”, Google will search for that exact phrase instead of looking for pages that contain the individual words Staples and Network and Services.  
• If you want any word screened out, put a hyphen in front of it. For example: if you search for the phrase
  “-Miami dolphins”, Google will weed out all Miami Dolphins sites and return only pages that pertain to dolphins.

Syntax Search Tips: Using a special syntax is a way to tell Google that you want to restrict your searches to certain elements or characteristics of web pages. Here are some advanced operators that can help narrow down your search results. These terms are placed in front of the query word or phrase.  

allintitle: restricts your search results to just the titles of Web pages. Example: allintitle:red sox will return only pages that have both “red” and “sox” in the title. Put quotes around red sox and Google will return only pages that have the exact phrase 

allinurl: restricts your search results to URLs containing your search terms. For example: allinurl:small business will return pages that have both “small” and “business” in the URL. 

info:  allows you to access a variety of information about a website, such as similar websites, site that link to it, and Google’s cache of the site. Example:  info:www.thrivenetworks.com 

define (no colon) provides definitions for words, phrases, and acronyms. For example: define motherboard will show a definition for the word motherboard.  

These are just a few of the many Google syntax operators. For a full list visit: http://www.googleguide.com/advanced_operators_reference.html

The Google Network

As I mentioned before, Google offers a variety of services and tools that extend far beyond its basic web search. Here is a list of some of the most popular sites on the Google network.  

Google Groups - a free discussion group and mailing list service. You can find groups related to your interests and participate in threaded conversations. You can also create your own groups and search information from Usenet newsgroups dating back to 1981. 

Google Image Search – a free search engine that allows you to search the web for images. Using image filenames, link text pointing to the images, and text adjacent to the images, Google is able to return accurate image results based on your keyword searches.  

Google Video – a free service that allows anyone to upload video clips to Google's web servers as well as make their own media available free of charge or commercially through the Google Video Store. Users can search and play videos directly from Google Video, as well as download video files. 

Google Maps – similar to MapQuest and Yahoo Maps; Google Maps is a free service that provides directions, interactive maps, and satellite imagery. If you are looking for more advanced features, check out Google Earth. Google Earth is a free, downloadable application that offers more complex search options and world-wide 3D satellite maps.  

Google Alerts – a free service that automatically emails you when there are new Google results for names or phrases that you specify. Alerts can be configured to be mailed to you as soon as new results are discovered, or on a daily basis. This is a great way to keep track of your business on the web.

Google Analytics - a free service that generates detailed statistics about traffic to your website. Its main highlight is that webmasters can optimize their ad campaigns through Google Analytics' analysis of where visitors came from, how long they stayed on the website, and their geographical location. Since Google Analytics is relatively new, at this time enrollment is by invitation only. You can sign up for enrollment here.   

Google Labs – a directory that details all of Google's experimental technologies. Google Labs is a webpage that links to all Google technologies under development or in beta that have not yet been made widely available. This page is a great way to learn about and get some hands on experience with Google services that are still in the testing phase. 

Google’s mission is to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Sometimes navigating all that information can be daunting, but using the information mentioned in this Tech Brief will position you to become a more advanced Google user and give you greater ability to access the information you’re looking for. If you have any questions about Google or technology in general, please feel free to Contact Me.

Sincerely,

Dylan O'Connor, MCSE, CCA
Chief Technology Officer

email: doconnor@thrivenetworks.com
phone: 978.461.3999
web: www.thrivenetworks.com