The minute that any question pops into your head, you can simply ask Google. No longer do we have to pour over books and dig through libraries to find the answer to the most aching questions.
We can move over to our smartphones and type in anything. Though it sounds perfect, there is one thing that you have to be careful of when looking things up online, and that is false information. How can you get your hands on useful and accurate information? Below, Takemyexamonline experts lay out 5 tips for Google search to get the best results every time.
1. Use Quotation Marks
Google works by providing results for the words or phrases you entered in the search bar. With a general search, you’ll get a ton of results, some of which have nothing to do with the information you’re looking for or need. That is because sometimes, Google will separate results and sometimes provide results for single words too. Instead of just typing in words or phrases, tell Google exactly what you’re looking for by wrapping it in with quotation marks. What this does is restricting the search to the exact words and phrases you’re looking for.
Example: “Money doesn’t grow on trees”
This is a famous quote that has a precise meaning. If you type this phrase without quotation marks, you’ll get results that are all over the place. Moreover, by placing the quote you’re looking for in quotations, you’ll get more specific results, including the quote’s analysis and its creator.
Insider Tip: Quotes for Fact-Checking
If you’re looking for a quick way to fact check, just add quotes around the phrase and turn it into a quote. For example, add “Did the President say…?” This serves as a powerful fact-checking tool.
2. Make Use of the Word “OR”
This trick of the trade is used when you’re on the hunt for one or more things. Let’s say that you have a research paper coming up and you want the best options. Instead of running around and searching multiple times, use the “OR” function. The way to use it is to place it between the words or phrases you’re hunting for and see what you come up with. This works perfectly for ideas that have varying ideas or are controversial, helping you narrow down your options and find articles written from the point of view you’re looking for. Or just click here and case study assignment writing service.
Example: “climate change” OR “global warming”
Say you choose ‘Climate Change’ as your topic. Various entities refer to this phenomenon differently, so you can take care of that with the or function. Thus, you’ll have better and more precise results from your first search.
3. Hyphens Are a Must
The minus symbol in the search engine world is the same as in the math world. It takes out words or phrases that you do not want. Therefore, all you have to do is place it before any words or phrases that you don’t want to show up with in the results. This trick comes in handy when Google goes off to retrieve your results. It gives them a better idea of what it is that you are looking for and delivers.
Example: Kiwi -fruit -food
You’ll get results that look for the name Kiwi but not as a food or a fruit. Maybe you know a business or restaurant by the name or are looking for someone named Kiwi. No matter what the reason is, you can take advantage of the hyphen (minus symbol) to eliminate more typical but irrelevant results.
4. “Site” Your Way to What You Need
Say that you know the name of the website where you’d like information to come from but don’t know how to pull up results. How would you do that? Google has this cool function where you can type “Site” followed by a semicolon. If the website you’re searching within has archives of articles or a particular study you’re looking for, you probably want results that only come from there. Think of newspapers, research centers, and other things like this. If you don’t want to to it, say “help me with my essay” on this website.
Example: site:www.rollingstones.com Britney Spears
Say that you want to see articles that mention Britney Spears in Rolling Stones Magazine. This is a way to get super specific results without having to type and re-type your questions. Make Google work for you.
Insider Tip: site:edu Britney Spears
You can use this trick to narrow down your results to only educational sites. Thus, Google will bring you mentions of Briteny Spears in academic articles or university-run newspapers. This might not be a likely example but, you’d be surprised at what you can find.
5. Using Country Codes
Google’s algorithm usually pulls up results based on your location. While this can be a good tool, it could still yield numerous irrelevant results, thus complicating your search process. For example, to get results that you want from any location, you can use the country code. To tell Google what you want, let’s take a look at an example.
Example: site:DE refugees
If you type the example above into the search engine, you’ll get results from Germany (DE). This technique is a great way to retrieve results about specific issues happening in one part of the world or another. You will get only results from Germany, able to do away with any bias or misunderstandings.