This applies to http://www.google.com and may work with other search engines as well.
I can guarantee this to work with at least http://www.altavista.com. The 6th and 7th hints only work with Google.



  1. Any keyword you want to include in your search should have a + in front of it, if you want to include it in every page.

    (Example: +cars +trucks)

      It is not necessary to type a + in front of the first search term. It is automatically assumed that you want to include the first search term in your search.

  2. Any keyword you don't want to have in your search should have a - in front of it.

    (Example: +animals -dogs)

  3. Any phrase that you want excluded or included in your search should have quotes around it.

    (Example: +"stuffed animals" -"teddy bears")

  4. If you want to include words that will appear anywhere in your search page and it will include some terms on some of the pages and vice versa, just type them in any order. You don't really have to add the + in front of each term. The search engine tries its best to match what it thinks you want first. The following example will try to find sites with teddy bears first, but then include pages that are about teddy or bears. You can also add OR to the search to specify that a keyword is optional.

    (Example: teddy bears) (Example: teddy OR bears)

      If you want teddy bears, it's best to put the phrase in quotes.

    (Example: "teddy bears")

  5. Some words are considered common words and are often ignored in searches (the, or, and, of, a, with, I, II).

      There are others, but this is a general idea.


  6. Google can find search phrases within sites. Make sure there's no space after site: as it will make the search not work properly.

    (Example: "World War II" site:www.discovery.com)

      To search for info on all sites of a certain type, like information from government sites, use the following example.

    (Example: DMV site:.gov)

  7. If you type an address in Google's search box, it will bring up street map sites at the top of your search.

    (Example: 123 5th Ave Any City NY)



    These are a few hints that I hope you will find helpful.
    I hope I have helped make your searches easier for you.

    Happy searching!



©May 2001 by Naaz