Doing a search in Google has definitely become commonplace. But when looking for a very specific result, classic queries are not enough.
The search engine has implemented many tips to refine the search , the most practical of which are the search operators. There are two kinds: Boolean and advanced operators. The former are the most frequently used, while the latter are less known but remain very effective. These operators can be combined: a very practical solution to optimize your searches.
Boolean operators
- “”: The quotes allow you to find an exact expression. “The Moderator’s Blog” lists sites where the words The Moderator’s Blog are present, only in that order.
- –: the minus sign is used to exclude a term. The search tips query -Google allows you to find out the pages containing tips and search , but excludes the one that contains Google .
- ..: two numbers separated by a colon allow you to find all the numbers in the specified range. Smartphone 200..400 euroslists phones between 200 and 400 euros.
- AND: excludes pages that do not contain the specified terms. Blog AND Moderator presents sites containing these two terms, but not those containing only one of the two.
- *: the asterisk is often used to know the whole of a sentence or an expression. Who steals * steals * allows you to find the expression that steals an egg steals an ox .
- OR: the operator allows you to search for a term, or another.
- (…): This operator of bringing together the themes of a research to ensure that it is well understood. (Marvel OR DC) comic lists the results for one or another of these comic books.
Advanced and specific operators
- site:allows you to search the web pages of a specific site. site: blogdumoderateur.com lists only the web pages of the Moderator’s blog.
- before:get the articles published before a given date. You can specify an exact year or date.
- after:like the previous one, but this command gives you the results published after the specified date.
- filetype:limit the search to the specified file type. filetype: PDF allows you to search only PDF documents.
- cache:allows you to view the specified page as it is kept in the Google cache. Example: cache: blogdumoderateur.com .
- related:add a URL after the operator to find similar pages. related: google.fr allows you to discover other search engines.
- define:to get the definition of a term. define: internet presents the definition of internet according to Wikipedia. Other sources are available.
- allintext:searches for a word only in the body of a site. This functionality excludes in particular the title of the page for the search. Example: allintext: moderator .
- intext:same principle, for complete sentences.
- allintitle:to search only in the titles of the pages (title tag).
- intitle:same principle, to search for a complete sentence.
- allinurl:to search only in URL addresses of web pages.
- inurl:same principle, to search for a complete sentence.
- inanchor: for a query in which one of the keywords is placed in the link anchor
- allinanchor:similar to the previous command for all the keywords in the query
- movie:to find out about cinema showings near you. Simply add your city’s zip code or name to specify your search. Example: movie: 35000 .
- stocks:allows you to follow the share price of a company. You can indicate the name of the company or the code of its share. Example: stocks: aapl or stocks: apple .
- weather:to know the weather forecast. Cities are supported, as are French regions. weather: Brittany logically displays a radiant sun.
- map:to view the map of a locality. Example: map: reindeer .
- source:reserved for Google News, this operator limits the search for the latest news to a single source. Example: source: moderator’s blog .
Remember that these operators can be combined! Using several operators within the same query allows you to greatly refine the results obtained.
