Have you ever been frustrated when you are trying to search for something specific on Google? For example, every time you search for what you want, 8 million results come back, but none of the results seem to match exactly what you’re actually looking for? If this is all too common for you, don’t worry. We’re going to show how you can utilize Google’s built-in search operators to get exactly what you are looking for the first time around!

Google Search Operators

Google has a whole host of special characters and commands called “search operators” built in that can help tailor and narrow your Google search results. Google is more than just a search engine – it can perform calculations, convert measurement units, and foreign currency. Plus, with the rise of devices like smart speakers, you can now use voice search to find what you need. All you have to do is ask.

That said, we’re going to take a deep dive into the many things that Google is capable of with a five-part series. To kick off this series, we’ll explore Google’s Search Operators and their amazing usefulness in refining web searches, but be sure to follow us for more details on parts 2-5 which will cover the following:

Part 2: Calculators & Converters
Part 3: Tools & Search Shortcuts
Part 4: Image Search
Part 5: Voice Search

A Few Disclaimers: Please keep in mind this is by no means an exhaustive list, and according to Google, “not all search operators return exhaustive results.” Google does remove and deprecate search operators from time to time, so results may vary.

What Are Search Operators?

Google Search Operators consist of special command words and predefined characters to construct your search query in order to narrow down your search results. We have broken down Search Operators into three types: Basic, Boolean, and Advanced. When you combine these powerful options, you are truly taking advantage of Google’s advanced search capabilities but only if you know how to use them!

Google’s Basic Search Operators

A basic Google search assumes the word “and” in between each word that you type in the Google search bar. Basic searches like this in Google will return very broad search results. For example, if you search for “website design companies”. Google will return results based on all three of these words on an individual basis. Meaning, any websites, articles, news content, etc. that contain information that relates to, “website,” “design,” or “companies,” will be served-up as options for you to select from via the Google search results page (or Google SERPS).

If you want to narrow down your search, using specific characters can help tell Google exactly what you are looking for vs. what you would like to exclude. An example of this would be using quotations around a specific word or phrase to let Google know you want search results to match that exact word or phrase. Similarly, using a minus or hyphen sign in your search, will let Google know that you’d like to exclude or omit specific search terms. Here are some examples of this:

Basic Search Operators	Definition and Example
-	The minus or hyphen sign is to exclude something from search results *Example* Kentucky bourbon flavors -maple
“ “	Use quotation marks for exact matches to your search query *Example* "grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich"
*	Asterisk means wildcard. It’s like an anything goes or fill in the blank. A query like saffron Florida would return all content containing saffron with Florida. Example* saffron *Florida
..	Placing to periods side by side tells Google you are searching for a range between two numbers. You can use it for a range of years or using the $ symbol (see below) you can indicate a price range as well *Example* running shoes $75...100
#	Search by hashtags, just include make sure you include the # symbol first *Example* #GoJags

Google’s Boolean Search Operators

Technically these types of searches are considered part of basic search operators, but we want to make the distinction that true Boolean searches do behave a little differently. When you apply these concepts to a search query it could mean either, or, or both, almost like a variable which is where the term Boolean originates from. Meaning, a binary variable, having two possible values or outcomes. For example true or false. I am afraid of spiders → True/False or my favorite color is pink → True/False.

Here are a few examples:

Boolean Search Operators	Definition and Example
AND	Google will search for all the terms joined with AND. Generally speaking, Google will assume “and” is included in your query when you enter multiple words. *Example* UFO AND Roswell
OR	This works best between two items. Google will not necessarily select one over the other, it could interchange them. It can work really well for comparisons. *Example* Coke OR Pepsi
\|	The pipe operator serves the same function as OR, just with fewer characters. *Example* sang \| sung?
+	The plus sign is identical to the AND function. Again, in most cases when you enter multiple keywords into your query, Google will assume they are all connected together. *Example* quantum + computer + price

Google’s Advanced Search Operators

Google Advanced Search is defined as a more detailed method of finding information on Google as it uses a variety of search operators and consists of both special characters and commands combined to go beyond a “normal” google search. Here are some real-world examples below to illustrate:

Advanced Search Operators	Definition and Example
allintitle: and intitle:	Looks for your query words to appear in the meta title of a web page. Allintitle means all your words much be included vs intitle which could return pages with only some of the words in their page title. *Example* allintitle: the evolution of technology
allintext: and intext:	Intext tells Google to search for content on a web page that contains some of your words whereas allintext requires all the words to be included. *Example* allintext: Gotta Lotta Gelata
allinurl: and inurl:	Similar to the text and title operators, Google will look for where your search terms match up in page URLs. *Example* allinurl: coronavirus mutation
around(x)	Narrows your search terms to be in proximity with each other to within (X) words. Note: super handy for song lyrics, song names and who sang them. *Example* somebody once told me AROUND (15) hey now
ext.: or filetype:	Looking for a specific file type at a domain like .doc, .pdf or even .html vs. .htm? It’s easy to include in your query. Both commands work identically. There are also two different ways to search. If you include the domain name it will narrow results considerably. *Example 1* Samsung ext.: ppt *Example 2* site: samsung.com filetype: ppt
related:	As this command implies, it looks for domains similar to the one you enter. This can be useful for researching competitors. You can also narrow this down to only use a domain’s sub-folders. Please note, if Google cannot categorize your website easily, you may see minimal results. *Example* related: google.com
site:	Narrows search results to only the domain name you are specifying. You can use www or not or http:// vs https:// to see how results vary. *Example* site: linkmypet.com
source:	This operator will return results by topic, brand, etc. according to the media source you choose. Usually, these feature results are found in Google News when they apply. *Example* Tesla source: Wall Street Journal

Search Tips to Use Google More Efficiently:

In summary, if you want to use Google more efficiently to get the search results you are looking for, here are the key takeaways:

Use the Tabs to refine your search, Web, Image, News, Videos, etc.
Use Quotes – Take out the “guesswork” when searching for something specific!
Use a Hyphen to exclude words or phrases. This will tell Google to ignore specific content even when it’s somewhat related to your search.
Use a Colon to search specific sites. This is a great shortcut to finding specific content on a particular site.
Use the Asterisk as a wild card – this allows you to search for something even when you might not know all of the words you’re looking for. An Asterisk works as a placeholder for Google to fill in the search.

If you're interested in learning more about how to get your business ranked in Google search results we can help! Contact us to speak with a Marketing Specialist and let us help you get the most out of your online experience!