A confession.
I use Google search every day. I’ve been using it (and writing about it) since it first launched—before it launched, actually, when it still had the word “beta” on its home page. I use Google because it’s easy to use, and because it delivers quality results.
I’m not unusual, at least in this respect. Google is the most-used search site on the Web, and most people choose it for the same reason I do—ease-of-use and effectiveness.
What I know that most of you don’t, however, is that there are lots of ways to get better results faster when searching Google. Most people just enter a simple query and click the Search button—and that works fine, most of the time. But if you want to turbocharge your searches, you can employ lots of advanced operators and “hidden” features.
Did you know, for example, that Google enables you to search within a specific date range? Or for specific types of files? Did you know that Google enables you to search books and magazines, or scholarly articles, or legal opinions? Or that you can use Google to search for photos on the web, or videos, or even financial information? Or that Google can function like a fancy calculator, and even provide useful conversions?
Google can do all those things, and a lot more—if you know where and how. That’s where this book comes in.
Using Google Advanced Search is your comprehensive guide to all aspects of searching with Google. I like to think of it as the instruction manual that Google probably should offer, if search came in a box. (Which it doesn’t, of course.) So if you want to learn how to search for just about anything online, this is the book you need.
What’s in This Book
Using Google Advanced Search Capabilities contains everything you need to know to get the most out of Google’s various search functions. I show you how to search for web pages, images, videos, articles—you name it. I also show you the best ways to search—how to get better results in less time. I even show you how to add Google search to your website or blog, and how to optimize your site to rank higher in Google search results.
Like I said, pretty much everything you need to know about Google search.
Who Can Use This Book
Using Advanced Google Search Capabilities is written for all levels of users. I assume you’re familiar to some degree with the Internet and your web browser, but that’s about it. I don’t assume you know anything at all about advanced search techniques; I’ll start at square one and progress from there.
How to Use This Book
I hope that this book is easy enough to read that you don’t need instructions. That said, there are a few elements that bear explaining.
Let Me Try It
The how-to information in this book is presented as a series of step-by-step instructions, in sections we call Let Me Try It. These sections look like this:
LET ME TRY IT
How to Enter a Basic Search Query
To conduct a basic web search, follow these steps:
1. Enter your query, consisting of one or more keywords, into the search box.
2. Google displays possible queries in a drop-down box as you type. If you want, you can select one of these queries to being your search without first clicking the Google Search button.
3. To search for something not included in the drop-down list of suggested queries, complete your query, and then click the Google Search button.
Margin Notes
In addition, you can find several special elements in this book, presented in what we in the publishing business call “margin notes.”
Web Addresses
Because Google is all about searching the web, lots of web page addresses are in the book, like this one: www.google.com. When you see one of these addresses (also known as a URL), you can go to that web page by entering the URL into the address box in your web browser. I’ve made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the Web addresses presented here, but given the ever-changing nature of the web, don’t be surprised if you run across an address or two that has changed. I apologize in advance.
Show Me More, Online
The how-to information in this book is supplemented by a series of Show Me online videos. These videos can be viewed in your web browser over any Internet connection and demonstrate many of the techniques discussed in this book; they’re step-by-step instructions that show you what you need to do.
These Show Me videos are referenced in the text like this:
SHOW ME MORE—Conducting a Basic Google Search
To learn more about searching from the Google home page, see the video “Conducting a Basic Google Search” on the companion Using website at http://www.quepublishing.com.
Just enter the URL into your web browser to view the video.
Tell Me More, Online
Most chapters in this book also include audio commentary that you might find useful. Like the Show Me videos, you can listen to these commentaries in your web browser over any Internet connection.
These Tell Me commentaries are referenced in the text like this:
TELL ME MORE—How Effectively Do You Search?
To learn more about conducting effective Google searches, listen to the audio clip titled “How Effectively Do You Search?” on the companion Using website at http://www.quepublishing.com.
And Even More, Online
When you finish reading this book, I urge you to visit my personal website, located at www.molehillgroup.com. Here you can find more information on this book and other books I’ve written—including an errata page for this book, in the inevitable event that an error or two creeps into this text. (Hey, nobody’s perfect!)
And if you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me directly at [email protected]. I can’t guarantee that I’ll respond to every email, but I will guarantee I’ll read them all.
Get Ready to Work
With all these preliminaries out of the way, it’s now time to start. So get ready to turn the page and learn more about how Google search works!