Have you ever been let down by the search results? Frustrated by not being able to find what you’re looking for? Maybe Google wasn’t doing its job properly, or maybe… you weren’t asking your questions the right way. Grande G has its mysterious ways when it comes to choosing what results to show you, however, there’s some actions you can take to make them more relevant. Read on to get familiar with advanced Google search operators to supercharge your queries.
Search engines have come a long way but they’re not perfect – they can’t read your mind to know exactly what you’re looking for. The thing about Google though is that it will listen closely, if you speak its language at a proficient level.
Here’s where the advanced Google search operators come in to help you narrow down the results you’re shown.
If you’ve never used them before, you may be wondering if you need them at all. Well, sure, if you’re simply looking for a Thai place in your city, a regular search will do, but the advanced Google search operators are more powerful than you think, especially if you’re working online on a daily basis.
These search bar commands will help you pull the most relevant results. With the amount of content available online, you need something effective to sift through it all.
Google search bar basics
Did you know that Google search bar can serve as a calculator and a unit converter? For the most basic math, you can type in the following, with or without spaces, to get the results served right away.
12+14
64-13
11*11
50/33
2^4 (to the power of)
10% of 1234 (for this calculation, you’ll have to use spaces)
30 celsius in fahrenheit (here use spaces as well; replace these units with any other relevant pair)
Advanced Google search operators
Now, here’s where the real fun begins. The operators you can use in the search bar are many. Some of them are best suited for one-time, informal searches, while others will best serve professional purposes.
String | Brings up |
| messaging app | Pages with the words “messaging” and “app”. |
| texting or calling | Pages with either “texting” or “calling”. |
| “online community chat” | Pages with the exact phrase in parentheses. |
| chat rooms -video | Pages with the words “chat rooms” but not “video”. |
| ~indubitably | Dictionary pages for the word after the tilde. |
| define:indubitably | An alternative to the above. |
| goodnight * billy * | Pages with the words “goodnight” and “billy” separated and followed by one or more words. Use the asterisks for phrases you can’t remember. |
| link:chatwee.com | Pages containing links to Chatwee.com |
| inanchor:coffee | Pages with the word “coffee” in anchor text. |
| inurl:tea | Pages with the word “tea” in the URL. |
| allintitle:chat room online community | Pages with the phrases “chat room” and “online community” in the title. |
| inposttitle:search engine optimization | Blog posts with the phrase “search engine optimization” in the title. |
| cache:chatwee.com | The latest cached version of Chatwee.com |
| cosmology filetype:ppt | PowerPoint files including the word “cosmology”. |
| grant:.gov | Pagest with the “.gov” domain containing the word “grant”. |
| stocks:facebook | Up to date information on Facebook stocks. |
Pro tip: Use multiple advanced Google search operators within a single search to further narrow down the results.
Final word
There’s more of these advanced Google search operators but I tried to shortlist only those that actually work and bring in meaningful results. Testing these, you’ll find they’re not perfect, but still deliver more precise results, allowing you to drill deeper in your content research or SEO efforts.
Have you been using any of these already? What worked for you best? Have I missed any important advanced Google search operators? Let me know down in the comments section.
