Use Google? Are You Using the Right Keywords and the Right Technique?

You know what it is, you use it often, but are you getting the right answers? Some will use it more than others, using their own technique and keywords… Others will use it only to believe if they can’t find it, then it doesn’t exist… Well, you can’t find the wind, but it does exist. What am I talking about?

How to search on Google…

Most users of any search engine will use key words haphazardly to find something – and for many searches, this may be all that is needed. What about searches where you know a keyword is only in the title? Or in the URL? If the keyword is something like Smith, then you will have a very long list to go through…. Or you want to find something within a specific country? An image? And yes, you can search for images besides keywords…

Google search has mechanisms called Operators. For the most part if you search for toy stores or stores toys, then you are still going to have a lengthy list. Unless you know to key the words toy AND stores or “toy stores” (including the quotes), then you can narrow this list down a little bit. Want to narrow the search by adding a specific location? Then “toy stores” Manhattan (which brings 6,900,000 results) or Manhattan “toy stores” (which brings 6,920,000 results) are a couple of examples… Depending on what you are looking for, the order of the words in the search will make a difference as well… A good rule of thumb is to have the vaguest definitions first (or widest scope) and use increasingly defining (or narrower scope) words afterwards — the key word here being increasingly (key word, not to be confused with keyword)… Click here for a cheat sheet of simple operators that can be considered (to bookmark the cheat sheet, just press Ctrl-D in the active window that displays the cheat sheet)…

What about a URL? Suppose you are looking for a job in Brazil or Australia? How do you do that? Well, there are other operators that Google uses to focus on specific elements of a listing. Be sure to use Google’s advanced search when needing to trim down your search results. You will find plenty of operator command s in the cheat sheet. Example: to search for project management jobs in Brazil or Italy (where the top domain is BR or IT, respectively), using the cheat sheet, the search will look like this…

Here, you have confined the search to sites in Brazil with the words job and “project manager” in the title, have the words submit and apply in the listing (as most opportunities will say “to apply for this position, please submit your CV (or resume)” and we have further limited the number of returns by making sure the word jobs in the URL. We are assuming, of course, the listings are in English. For foreign countries that do not speak English as their primary language, you should use words in their native language.

Like anything, it takes a while to adapt to searching with these operators – but you will be glad once this disciplined adaptions has become a technique that is a valuable habit. Especially if you Google a LOT for information…

There are plenty of books available if you want to be a power searcher with Google…

Behind Google’s deceptively simple interface is immense power for both market and competitive research—if you know how to use it well. Sure, basic searches are easy, but complex searches require specialized skills. This concise book takes you through the full range of Google’s powerful search-refinement features, so you can quickly find the specific information you need. Learn techniques ranging from simple Boolean logic to URL parameters and other advanced tools, and see how they’re applied to real-world market research examples.

• Incorporate advanced search operators such as filetype:, intitle:, daterange:, and others into your queries
• Use Google filtering tools, including Search Within Results, Similar Pages, and SafeSearch, among others
• Explore the breadth of Google through auxiliary search services like Google News, Google Books, Google Blog Search, and Google Scholar
• Acquire advanced Google skills that result in more effective search engine optimization (SEO)