Get more from Google with these 5 search superpowers

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 November 04, 2024

Get more from Google with these 5 search superpowers

Goodbye, information overload. Hello, laser-focused results.

BY Doug Aamoth

Google is an incredibly powerful search engine, but many users aren’t tapping into its full potential. And with nearly limitless results on any given topic, effective searching is about being specific and using the right tools for the job.

Here are several tricks to help you refine your searches and find exactly what you’re looking for more efficiently.

Get more from Google with these 5 search superpowers

Exclude words with a minus sign

To remove unwanted results from your search, use the minus sign before words you want to exclude, which is helpful when a search term has multiple contexts.

For instance, if you’re researching jaguars (the animal) but want to avoid results about the cars or football team, try searching for “jaguar -car -automotive -football -nfl”.

This will filter out pages related to Jaguar vehicles and the middling Jacksonville NFL franchise, allowing you to focus on information about the big cats.

Get more from Google with these 5 search superpowers

Search within a specific site

You can limit your search to a particular website by using the “site:” operator. This is incredibly useful when you want to find information on a specific domain or when you remember reading something on a particular site but can’t locate it.

For example, to find articles about artificial intelligence here on Fast Company’s website, search for “artificial intelligence site:fastcompany.com”.

 
Get more from Google with these 5 search superpowers

Use the asterisk as a wildcard

The asterisk (*) acts as a placeholder for unknown or variable words in a phrase.

This is helpful when you can’t remember an exact phrase, such as finding song lyrics when you only remember part of a line or for discovering variations of a common phrase.

It’s also helpful for super broad searches. For example, “the best * of 2024” will show results for the best movies, books, products, events, and more from 2024.

Get more from Google with these 5 search superpowers

Search by file type

If you’re looking for a specific type of file, use the “filetype:” operator—useful when you’re searching for particular document formats for work, study, or the like.

For example, “cybersecurity filetype:pdf” will return whitepapers and reports in PDF format about cybersecurity topics.

Get more from Google with these 5 search superpowers

Google’s Advanced Search feature allows for more precise filtering of results, giving you greater control over your search parameters—like being able to narrow down results by language, region, last update, file type, and more.

To access it, click Tools > Advanced Search at the top of a search results page and select “Advanced search.” This tool is particularly useful for academic or professional research, allowing you to set specific date ranges, usage rights, and even reading levels for your search results.

Get more from Google with these 5 search superpowers

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Doug Aamoth is a former writer and editor at TechCrunch and TIME Magazine, and has written for Fast Company, PCWorld, MONEY Magazine, and several other publications. With more than 20 years in consumer electronics, tech media, digital video, and software, his goal is to make technology approachable and useful for everyone, helping readers stay informed, productive, and secure in the digital age.


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