What are the Best Google Searching Tips and Tricks?

There are a lot of features available to us on the internet when it comes to search engines that we simply are not aware of, and learning more about them might make a huge difference in your search habits.

In this slogging thread, the technology community discussed the best google searching tips and tricks that maybe are not in plain sight.

This Slogging thread by Sara Pinto, Mónica Freitas, Jack Boreham, Khamisi Hamisi and Abeer occurred in slogging's official #technology channel, and has been edited for readability.

Sara PintoDec 8, 2021, 2:25 PM

There are a lot of features available to us on the internet that we simply are not aware of, but it might make a difference. What are the best google searching tips and tricks that you know?

Mónica FreitasDec 8, 2021, 3:26 PM

Sara Pinto Great thread! Add the subtraction symbol plus the word you want to remove from your result, like this: - shoes

Mónica FreitasDec 8, 2021, 3:27 PM

That way, you'll refine your search, removing any term that doesn't suit your goal.

Sara PintoDec 8, 2021, 4:12 PM

Mónica Freitas That's a good one, I have to try it out!

Jack BorehamDec 8, 2021, 6:08 PM

Well, in terms of writing, definitely SEO. So many writers don't use SEO in their content. Using the right keywords attuned to google can make viewership explode. Not many people know about it!

Sara PintoDec 10, 2021, 5:32 PM

Jack Boreham That's true. It's unbelievable how many things are at our reach, and we don't make use of them. Do you have any tips for anyone using SEO for the first time?

Sara PintoDec 10, 2021, 5:32 PM

Limarc Ambalina Khamisi Hamisi Daniel Guzman Allyson Blinkhorn Abeer Do you know any?

Khamisi HamisiDec 11, 2021, 2:49 PM

Sara Pinto Here is one.

Use the syntax below when searching for something on a specific website.

Khamisi site:hackernoon.com

The example above will get all the results about Khamisi found on Hackernoon.

Sara PintoDec 13, 2021, 4:12 PM

Khamisi Hamisi Oh, are you telling me that I've lost all that time going to each and every part of a website and using F3 to find what I need when I could've just used that hack? I should have made this thread sooner

Sara PintoDec 13, 2021, 4:18 PM

Personally, I like the Google Scholar feature. It helps me find articles and scholarly works that usually have new sources, and I can search them and improve my work. Did you know about this? Mónica Freitas Jack Boreham Khamisi Hamisi

Jack BorehamDec 14, 2021, 1:11 PM

Sara Pinto focus on keywords with low competition. It is impossible to compete with high competition. You can find comp under KD on ahrefs, 0-5 is a good start.

Mónica FreitasDec 14, 2021, 2:25 PM

Sara Pinto, I used to use Google Scholar in uni but I had trouble finding really specific articles. I ended up using academic platforms/databases. One other Google feature that I never used much was the news section. It's useful if you want to stay up to date but I find other channels (radio, tv) more attractive.

Sara PintoDec 15, 2021, 5:04 PM

Mónica Freitas I'm also not a user of google news, but overall, many of their services are helpful. Currently, I'm interested in their online course on digital marketing, which is part of their service Google Digital Garage. I had no idea Google had this type of thing, and it got me curious. Have you ever heard of this?

Sara PintoDec 15, 2021, 5:06 PM

Allyson Blinkhorn Favour Amadi SALLYcanttdance Teri Eyenike Do you know any tips or hacks for how to use google?

Mónica FreitasDec 15, 2021, 7:16 PM

Sara Pinto oh yes! I did that course a few years back. It took me a couple of days but it's not that hard to do. Or wasn't. Not sure how it is now. I also did the analytics course from Google as well. If you're planning to be a marketeer, it pays off to know these tools

Sara PintoDec 16, 2021, 12:57 PM

Mónica Freitas And as far as I know, is free as well. It's actually good assets in a very accessible way for us. To get to know some aspects and starting off, I think these tools can help a lot

Mónica FreitasDec 28, 2021, 12:21 PM

Sara Pinto Agreed. Not only it makes your CV look good, it gets you ahead of the competition for job hunting. Besides, you get a better understanding of this. Also, Google's a big company so, it gives us great insights to their ways and how to get ahead in their platform.

Mónica FreitasDec 28, 2021, 12:22 PM

Sara Pinto Is there any other online course you'd like to do? I've heard the Coursera ones are interesting.

Sara PintoJan 3, 2022, 4:04 PM

Mónica Freitas Exactly! It's something you can do at home when you have time and gives you an advantage. In my opinion, it also shows initiative to try to have more knowledge and invest in yourself.

Sara PintoJan 3, 2022, 4:05 PM

Mónica FreitasI've never heard about Coursera. Are they online as well? Do they cover a specific theme or they have a wide range?

AbeerJan 3, 2022, 5:42 PM

Sara Pinto Here are two that I use all the time: Surrounding a part or all of the query in quotation marks makes the search look for exact matches. The Tools button has a Time tool which filters the search for articles/listings/updates that are more recent. It can be used to find things in certain time periods as well.

AbeerJan 3, 2022, 5:45 PM

Sara Pinto Also, the Reverse Image Search feature is useful if you’re looking for the image with different dimensions, similar looking images, or more information on an image.

Mónica FreitasJan 4, 2022, 11:09 AM

Sara Pinto from what I found out, their courses are online and they have different thematic and duration. It just depends on your preferences. I think not all courses are free though. At least, last time I checked. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Sara PintoJan 7, 2022, 11:52 AM

Abeer I'll have to write it down, both are amazing, but the time tool will be a lifesaver! I'm always trying to find things from years ago, so it will save me some time!

Sara PintoJan 7, 2022, 11:55 AM

Abeer The only thing with the Reverse Image Search is that it's not available for computers, right?

Sara PintoJan 7, 2022, 11:59 AM

Mónica Freitas I like how they provide a diploma or certificate! I think I might try one of their courses, thank you for the suggestion!

Mónica FreitasJan 7, 2022, 12:12 PM

Sara Pinto I might just join you!

AbeerJan 7, 2022, 8:06 PM

Sara Pinto They finally added image search to browsers! All you have to do is click on the Images tab and next to the 🔍 icon is a 📷 icon that lets you search an image by either entering it’s URL or even uploading it.

Sara PintoJan 10, 2022, 4:13 PM

Abeer WOW, thank you!! I had no idea you could do it on a computer! I have to try it out