Google Can Do That? How to Search the Internet Effectively

Google can do That? How to Search the Internet Effectively

Research Edge Cindy Fromherz, Principal

October, 2012

The Key Tools

Browser

Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome

Search engine

Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask, AOL

Many others useful for special purposes

Google is the Leader

Chrome is Google’s Browser

Fast, stable, uncluttered

Excellent bookmark handling

Incognito mode for more secure browsing

Built-in Google Sync to keep bookmarks synchronized across your computers

Voice activated searching

Application to hide ads

Header Comparison

Internet Explorer:

Chrome:

TakeAway Tip

Give Google Chrome a Try

How Search Works Search engines, such as Google, create their listings

automatically. They "crawl" or "spider" the web, then record the information found in an index.

When you enter words into a search box, search engine software sifts through the millions of pages in the index to find matches and rank them in the most relevant order.

The algorithms influencing order are based on number of times the word appears on a site, the quality of the site, page rank and numerous other variables.

The Art of Keyword Choices

Think about the words that might be in your desired results page.

Determine the most important words in your search as well as potential synonyms.

Put yourself in the mindset of the author of the words.

May have to do several queries in a row to key in on the topic.

Search Tips 1

Search Tips 2

Who was elected president in 1976 and by what percentage?

Query – [results 1976 presidential election]

TakeAway Tip

Keywords are Key Choose them carefully

Finding Text on a Web Page

Windows computers: press the control and F keys at the same time.

Apple computers: press the command and F keys at the same time.

Android tablets: in a browser window, touch the menu button in the top right of the screen, then select "find on page".

Safari on iPad tablets: click the cursor in the search box in the upper right corner of the screen. Directly above the keyboard, a "find on page" box will open.

TakeAway Tip

Use Control F to Find on Page (Command F on a Mac)

The Search Engine Results Page There are three main parts of a search engine result:

the page title (in blue), the web address (in green), and snippet/abstract (in black) that contains the text from the page around the terms you search for.

Links within the search engine results go directly to sub-pages of the site.

Ads relevant to your search may appear – they are labeled as ads, and shaded in pink.

Related searches are suggested.

Example

Timesaver 1 – Google Instant As you start to type, results for a popular

search that begins with those letters

automatically appears.

You can enable Google Instant by accessing your search settings under the gear icon on any search results page.

Timesaver 2 - Autocomplete

As you type within the Google search box on Google, the autocomplete algorithm offers searches that might be similar to the one you're typing.

Timesaver 3 - Instant Previews

See what a webpage is like before clicking a search result.

First, hover your cursor over a result.

Then hover over the arrows that appear next to the result to see a visual preview of that result.

(Does not work for all pages.)

Example

Timesaver 4 - Knowledge Graph Descriptions and facts that are publicly available on the

Web Images from the Web that are selected as the highest

ranking images about the subject Related searches to help you explore similar subjects,

such as other Paris monuments when you search for the Eiffel Tower

Other information that's related to the subject, such as a map of a location, upcoming events for an artist or venue, and the latest Google+ posts for some people

Example

TakeAway Tip

Take Advantage of Timesavers (Google Instant, Autocomplete, Instant

Preview, Knowledge Graph)

Different Kinds of Content In the left panel of the search results page, you can filter

results by different categories. These categories include images, blogs, discussions, recipes,

patents, books, 3D models, scholarly sources, and others. Also check out the More tab. Use google search if you can’t

remember how to get to a category. Can search both ways – by topic first than content type or vice

versa. The left panel does not appear on tablets (iPad, Android).

Example

Example

More Search Filters Expand Show search tools in left panel. • Location filter • Date range filter • Similar sites

• Reading level

• Exactly as you enter the search terms

• And more

Image Search

Example – Obama Book, Black Cover

Search-by-Image Google will try to match an image you supply with

images on the internet Images.Google.com -- Drag and drop images into search box -- Upload image from your computer -- Enter an image’s URL -- Install extension and right click Different than Image Search Not supported by tablets or all browsers

Example

TakeAway Tip

Use Different Media to Filter Results (images, news, blogs, video, books,

scholarly sources, etc. )

Advanced Search - Operators

Specific words, when used before a colon, that act as commands to filter results.

The site: and the filetype: operators are very useful

Must pay attention to syntax

Example

The Minus Sign

Use the minus sign (-) to eliminate irrelevant results.

There must be a space before the minus sign.

There must not be a space between the minus sign and the word you want to eliminate.

A plus sign (+) does not mean “and,” nor does it force inclusion of a word. A plus sign before a search term, used as an operator, looks for a Google+ Page by that name.

Example –obama -romney

Advanced Search- Quotes

Use quotes to search for a phrase.

Quotes glue words together; there can be additional words before or after the phrase, but the phrase will always stay together in the results.

Advanced Search - OR

Use OR to include more than one way of expressing an idea.

If an idea on one side of the OR is more than one word, it needs quotes around it (e.g.: [handkerchief OR "facial tissue"]

Advanced Search Query box that incorporates functions we have just

reviewed, and others. Use it if you feel more comfortable using a form than function language.

Access at the bottom of the search results page:

http://www.google.com/advanced_search

Or at the following URL:

Example

TakeAway Tip

Use Operators to Target Searches (site:, filetype:, minus sign, OR)

Search Features

Search features are shortcuts

Searching for “Google search features” gets you to the master list

Weather, stock quotes, time in other cities, sports scores, sunrise/sunset, statistics, and a lot more

Define

Conversions and Calculator

Enter any math equation into the search box, and Google will calculate your answer.

Conversion units to units [number units in units]

These search features are available on any computer including cell phone or tablet

Date Range Limiting

Limit results to sources published during a specific time period by clicking on Search Tools in the left panel, then selecting the appropriate time range.

Time filters are available in Web Search, Books, Images, News, Videos, Blogs, Discussions, and Patents.

This feature is not available on tablet browsers.

Translation and Search

Translate words, sentences, and pages by using translate.google.com.

Search in foreign languages using English by clicking "More search tools" on the left panel of your results page, then select "Translated foreign pages". This feature chooses the best language in which to search and delivers results translated back into English.

Example

Example

Other Examples Weather – weather New Orleans Time – time Paris Stock quotes - AAPL (ticker symbol) Sports scores – New Orleans Saints Sunrise and sunset – sunset Key West Calculator – (5*9)/2.23 (enter equation) Statistics – unemployment rate LA Local search – pizza 70130 Movie showtimes – movies 78502

TakeAway Tip

Use Search Feature Shortcuts (define, calculator, conversions, date range,

translations, and more)

Research Edge is a New Orleans based consulting firm specializing in business research. We help clients understand their customers, their competition, and the environment in which their business operates so they can make smart decisions. Cynthia B. Fromherz, Principal Contact us at: [email protected]