Google has managed to surpass all other search engines and make it’s way into the dictionary as a word synonymous with search. And for good reason. Google is a seriously powerful search engine. But, what many people DON’T know about Google is that it has a lot of special search functions which really bring out the power of the engine. Most people don’t know about these search methods and don’t get as much out of Google as they could otherwise.

So, let me show you some features of the Google search engine that will turn you from a casual searcher into a power searcher.

Search Modifiers

1. ALLINTITLE. Using “allintitle:” in your search query will tell Google to search for your search phrase specifically in the title of the document. For example, searching for “allintitle: david risley” will find all documents with my name in the title.
2. LINK. Using “link:” will search for all documents which link to a certain page. So, for example, searching for “link:http://www.pcmech.com” will find all documents which link directly to the PC Mechanic homepage.
3. SITE. Using “site:” will restrict your search only to a particular domain name. So, if you wanted to search PC Mechanic for a the word “Ubuntu, for example, you could type “site:http://www.pcmech.com ubuntu”. You can also using partial site domains in a similar fashion. For example, if you wanted to search ALL of pcmech (site and our forums), you could search for “site:pcmech.com ubuntu” and this would include results from our forums on Ubuntu. Similarly, let’s say you wanted to search specifically educational institutions (which usually have EDU domain names), you can search for “site:edu ubuntu”. This will give you all documents which mention Ubuntu but only on EDU domain names.
4. FILETYPE. Use this search to find only documents of a specific file type. For example, you want to find all PDF documents which talk about Ubuntu. Search for “filetype:pdf ubuntu”. It works by file extension, so DOC will be MS Word documents, PPT will find you Powerpoints. You get the idea.

To really get the most out of this, you mix these searches together. So, for example, let’s say I wanted to try to find a manual for my HP Pavilion DV6000 laptop in PDF version. Of course, I could go to HP’s website and get it. But, if I wanted to use Google, I could try something like “filetype:pdf DV6000 site:hp.com” This tells Google to give me all PDF documents specifically from hp.com which contain the word “DV6000″.

Search Logic

When you type more than one word into the search box at Google, it assumes you want it to search for all the words. So a search for pc mechanic is going to find you all documents with the word “PC” AND “Mechanic”. It does not necessarily mean that the two words are right next to each other. To search for the entire phrase, you would enclose it in quotation marks, like “pc mechanic”.

But, you can also use logic in your searches. For example, a search for “pc OR mechanic” will search for documents which have either “PC” or “Mechanic”, but not necessarily both. It is important that you use capital letters when using logic. “OR” will work, but “or” will be interpreted as a small, common word and Google will strip it out of your search.

To exclude a word, use the “-” symbol in front of it. Think of it like “minus this”. So, a search for “pc mechanic” -risley would find all documents with the phrase “pc mechanic” but without my last name on it (Risley).

Can’t Think of All Possibilities?

Google can also search for similar words using the “~” character. For example, running a search like internet marketing ~strategies will find pages with “internet” and “marketing” but with various synonyms of the word “strategies”. So, you may find “internet marketing strategies”, “internet marketing tips”, “internet marketing techniques”, etc.

Can’t Remember The Exact Words?

Google provides wildcard capability in your searches, using the “*” character. For example, let’s say you couldn’t remember the beginning words of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities. You remember it started with “It was the best of…” something. So, search Google for “it was the best of *”. You’ll find it quickly. Now, you probably won’t be searching for Dickens novels this way, but try applying it to song lyrics you can’t remember.

Can’t Spell?

Type your misspelled word into Google and you’ll get a “did you mean…” thing at the top with your correct spelling. It won’t always work, but I use this one regularly when I can’t remember how to spell a word.

Google Calculator

Yes, you can have the engine perform simple or even fairly complex operations for you. For example, plugging a simple arithmetic calculation like “97+54″ will give you the answer (151). It can also understand some English and you can use this for doing things like conversions. For example, I want to see how many miles 3.4 kilometers is. Entering “3.4 kilometers to miles” into Google tells me it is 2.11266205 miles. Want to see how many Mexican pesos it would take to equal $100? Enter “100 dollars to pesos” to find it is roughly 1102 pesos at the current conversion rate.

Now I know.

What’s That Mean?

Need a definition to a word? Google knows all. Just use the “define:” search. So, a search for “define: depth” will tell you all definitions of the word “depth”.

Movie Times

Using the “movie:” search, you can see when movies are playing in your area. So, a search for “movie: chuck and larry Brandon, FL” will give me all movie times in Brandon for I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry.

All Hail the Google God

Yes, Google knows all. Or so it seems. Learn to use the specialty searches and it is quite convenient. Learn to use the search modifiers and you have yourself a VERY powerful search engine.

But, this is certainly not all of what Google can do. So, feel free to share your own tips in the comments.