If you’ve ever searched for an answer to a question on the internet, chances are you’ve been one of the two trillion searches conducted on Google each year. But have you ever thought that there might be an easier way to find the answers to your questions? Google Advanced Search is the perfect option, but not all Google users are familiar with all its functions.
By typing a specific function before a search term on Google, you can quickly and easily find a straightforward answer to your question without having to sift through irrelevant search results. Here is a list of the functions of Google Advanced Search.
The Quotation Marks
When you put quotation marks around a search query, Google will only return search results that contain exactly that word or phrase. Use this function when you want very precise results or when terms in the phrase can easily be confused with others. For example, “neutered 1-year-old bobtail cat” will only return results that contain that exact phrase and no other variations.
OR and –
The “OR” function is used when you want to search for two specific or equally relevant queries. You can also use the “|” symbol. Use this function when you want to search for a term, its opposite, or two similar terms. For example, bananas OR plantains will return results for both terms.
The “-” sign is used when you don’t want to see a certain term in your search results. Use this function when you want to filter your results to exclude the specified term. For example, SEO – Forbes will show results regarding SEO but not from Forbes.com.
City City
When you use this function, you can easily find flights from one city to another. Simply type two different city names side by side in the Google search and you will get a table of upcoming flights. This function is useful for finding flights from the first city to the second city, saving you a lot of time compared to searching for airports, available flights, schedules, etc.
Link:
When you insert this function before a specific URL, the results will display pages that link to that URL. Use this function to see which other web pages are linking to the page you are searching for. For example, link:auntieannes.com will show pages that link to auntieannes.com.
..
Use this function between two numbers to indicate that you want results that include numbers between the two specified numbers. Use this function when you want to refine your search results to include only the numbers you have indicated. For example, running shoes $25..75 will display results of shoes within that price range.
*
The asterisk function is known as a placeholder in a sentence for a word. You can use this function to find articles, keywords, dates, and other information. For example, “* is the key to success.”
In
The “in” function converts units of measurement into other units. You can use this function by placing one unit in front of another, inserting “in,” and ending the search with another unit of measurement. It essentially acts as a conversion calculator when you don’t have one on hand. For example, yards in a mile will calculate how many yards are in a mile.
Site:
This function searches your query on a specific site. Use this function when you want to find specific information within a given site. For example, site:starbucks.com lattes will only show results of pages on Starbucks.com that mention lattes.
Allintitle:
This function displays results that have your query in the title tag of their site. Use it when you want content with specific titles, such as blog articles. This is particularly useful when you are searching for a specific page, like a blog post. For example, allintitle:the cow jumped over the moon will only display blog articles or pieces with that title.
Intitle:
This function searches for results with a single term in the title of a page rather than a complete phrase. Use it when you want to find titles with a specific single word followed by a second word somewhere else in the content. For example, intitle:spaghetti sauce will return results that have “spaghetti” in the title and “sauce” in the body content.
Inblogtitle:
This function specifically searches for blog titles. It’s useful when you want results that include only blog articles with a certain word in the title. This ensures that you don’t get news reports or other content formats. Make sure to put your phrase in quotation marks! For example, inblogtitle:”dog grooming 101″ schedule will display search results that include blog articles with that title.
Inposttitle:
Similar to “intitle,” this function can include results from blog posts, videos, and web pages specifically related to blog posts. Use this function when you want to find blog titles with a specific word followed by a second word elsewhere in the blog. For example, inposttitle:yoga poses will return pages with “yoga” in the title and “poses” somewhere in the text.
Allintext:
This function displays content with your search terms anywhere in their content. It is useful when you want to find content with a specific phrase or set of words and allows you to find detailed search results. When you add quotation marks to the query, you get even more specific results. For example, allintext:recipes for a weeknight will display results with the specified phrase in the content.
Allinanchor:
The “allinanchor” function displays sites that use your search term in the anchor text. This helps you find sites using certain anchor texts in different links, even if you don’t remember where those links lead. For example, allinanchor:swimming will display sites that use the word “swimming” when linking to another page.
Allinurl:
This function returns search results that have your entire search query in their URLs. This can be useful when you want to find a specific URL that contains one of your terms. For example, allinurl:hamburger restaurant will return results that contain the complete query “hamburger restaurant” in the URL.
Inurl:
When you use this function, Google displays results with the specified word in the URL. This function differs from “allinurl:” because it only searches for a single word in the URL instead of the entire query. For example, inurl:cupcake baking will return URL results containing the word “cupcake” and that contain “baking” somewhere in the content of that URL.
Allinpostauthor:
This function returns results from content written by the author you specify. It is particularly useful when you remember the author of the content but not the blog title. It is also handy when you want to find additional content from a specific author. For example, allinpostauthor:Nicholas Sparks will only return results with content written by Nicholas Sparks.
Related:
Probably one of the most general and useful functions, “related:” allows you to see results similar to the URL you are searching for. This is great for finding sites related to your query. For example, related:NYTimes.com will display results from similar news sites.
Info:
This function gives you information about the domain you are searching for. The information provided includes the site’s cache, pages similar to the searched URL, pages linking to the domain you are searching for, other pages on the same domain, and pages that contain the domain’s text on their page. This is useful when you want to get a lot of information about a specific domain. You will need to follow the provided links after entering the query to get the information.
Define:
One of the most common functions of Google Advanced Search, the “define:” function displays definitions of a word or phrase using a dictionary. This saves you time and saves you from having to search for a word on a site like dictionary.com. For example, define:emacity will give you a definition of that word.
Source:
This function searches for mentions of a query in a specific source of information. It allows you to narrow your search to a specific topic within a specific publication. For example, Anderson Cooper source:New York Times will display mentions of Anderson Cooper in articles from the New York Times.
Place:
This function displays results based on a specific location. Use this function if you want to find general information and news about a specific geographical area. For example, place:North Dakota will give you results based on the term “North Dakota.”
File Type:
This function allows you to search for results based on their file extension. If you are only looking for images, you can enter your search term followed by the function and “.jpg”. This can be done for any file format. You can also use the “ext:” function to do the same. For example, jellyfish filetype:jpg will display .jpg images of jellyfish.
Film:
The “film” function is great when you want to see current movies without having to search for details in a theater. Type the function followed by the movie title and the city, and you will see theaters and showtimes. For example, film:Finding Dory Paris will display Parisian theaters showing Finding Dory.
Weather:
This function displays the weather in a specific location. If you want to know the forecast for the coming days, you can simply ask Google. For example, weather:Paris will display the weather in Paris, France.
Stocks:
This function displays stock prices for a specific company that you enter. It is an easy way to quickly see the numbers. For example, stocks:Starbucks will display daily stock prices for the Starbucks company.
Cache:
This function displays the most recent cache of a specified webpage. It is useful because it shows you what Google sees when it looks at your site, with the date and time of the last scan of your site. It also allows you to see the plain text version of the site and its current source. For example, cache:abc.com will show you a screenshot of the latest cached version of the webpage.
Map:
This function allows you to get map results only for a specific location. This is perfect when you don’t want results about a specific place but want directions instead. For example, maps:Burlington, VT will show you a map of the location.
Additional Search Functions
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Equation: When you enter an equation into Google, you will automatically get the answer. If you use the functions for multiplication, / for division, – for subtraction, and + for addition, Google will calculate the result. For example, 872 will display 576.
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Tip Calculator: When you’re unsure how much to tip your server, type “tip calculator” into Google. After filling in a few numeric fields, you will know exactly how much to tip your server.
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Timer: When you don’t have a timer on hand, search for a duration followed by “timer” in Google. A timer will start and ring after the specified time. For example, 30-minute timer will ring after half an hour.
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Stopwatch: Similar to the timer function, if you type “stopwatch” into Google, you will be able to start and stop it as you need.
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Sunrise and Sunset: The “sunrise” and “sunset” functions provide the time of sunrise and sunset for your specified location. For example, sunrise:Austin will give you the time the sun rises in Austin, Texas on the day of your search.
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Flight Number: When you enter a flight number into Google, you will automatically see where the flight is on its route with a visual timeline!
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Sports Team vs. Sports Team: When you type the names of two different sports teams side by side, you will automatically see the live score or the most recent score of their game. For example, Steelers Eagles will display the score of that football match.
Which functions do you use the most? Do you know any other advanced search operators that you like and use? Let us know in the comments below!
