10 Tricks That Will Change the Way You Search on Google
Google is the most popular search engine in the world. But do you know that you can include special characters and words in your search to get better results? Try the following tips in your next Google search to get more accurate results.
01. Use quotation marks ("") to search for exact words or phrases
If you put your search terms in double quotes, Google will only use the exact phrase you put in quotes. For example, if you search for "Ancient City Polonnaruwa," Google search results only include pages with the phrase Ancient City Polonnaruwa.
Or, if you are a beginner, you can use this method to check your work by searching for partial sentences on Google. If Google search produces some results, you will have an understanding of your writing.
02. Search for wildcards or unknown words (use * in quotes)
You can use an asterisk (*) inside a quote to specify a variable or an unknown word. Google will find that the results of these pages are related to the rhythm of the asterisk.
This is useful if you are trying to find a specific phrase but don't remember some of it. You can use an asterisk to replace words you don't remember, and Google will find the missing words.
In addition, you can improve your writing skills by searching for words in sentences using a combination of asterisks and quotation marks on Google.
03. Use the minus sign ( - ) to exclude results that contain specific keywords
If you want to exclude results that contain specific keywords, you can add a minus sign ( - ) before the keyword. For example, if you want to search for "what is the Internet" and you don't want the result to be "Wikipedia", you can search;
What is the Internet - Wikipedia
04. Search within a specific website
If you want to search for something on a particular site, place "site:" in front of the site or domain. For example, you can search;
"Bolonaruwa Ancient City" website: slplaces.com
05. Restricted time period
With Google Search, you can specify the expected time period for your search results. After running the search, click on "Tools" (below the search bar) and a new menu will appear below. Select/define the appropriate time period from the "Any Time" drop-down menu.
06. Search for file types
If you want to search for a specific file type, use the "filetype:" command to add it to the end of the search. For example, if you want to search for "excel for beginners" and you want to get results with PDFs; you can search;
"excel for beginners" file type: PDF
07. Search related websites
You can search for sites like websites by placing "related:" in front of your known domain. For example; you can search for a site like "tripadvisor.com" as shown below;
Related: tripadvisor.com
08. Translate words and phrases into different languages
You can use Google Search to translate words and phrases into different languages. For example, you can translate the word "wildcard" into Sinhala by searching as follows;
Translate wildcards into Sinhala
09. Unit and currency conversion
You can use Google search units and currency conversions. For example; the search term 15USD to LKR will replace 15USD with the Sri Lankan Rupee. To convert 15 feet into meters, use 15 feet to meters.
10. Search for the title
If you add "intitle:" before the search query, Google will render a page with a title after "intitle:".
If you use "allintitle:", Google will render the page using all of the words that follow.

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