01
Use quotation marks for exact matches
02
Exclude words with a minus sign
03
Search within a specific website
Search for specific file types
04
Use OR to broaden results
05
Use OR to broadenyour results
Tell Google to accept either term when searching
Example: Helpful when different terms mean roughly the same thing
"renewable energy" OR "solar power"
Search within a specific website
Limit results to one site or domain by using site:
Example: Amazing for searching universities, news outlets or government sites
site:bbc.co.uk "artificial intelligence"
Search for specific file types
Need PDFs, PowerPoints, or Excel files? Try using :filetype
Example: Gold for reports, white papers and academic work
"cybersecurity policy" filetype:pdf
Use quotation marks for exact matches
Put quotes around a phrase to search for that exact wording
Example: Great for names, song lyrics or exact definitions
43%
As of January 2026, 43% of all advanced searches on the internet used quotation marks
"climate change policy impact"
Exclude words with a minus sign
If a word keeps muddying your results, kick it out
Double meanings (polysemy) significantly affect internet searches, often making it more challenging for search engines to determine user intent, leading to mixed or irrelevant results
Example: Perfect when a word has multiple meanings
jaguar -car
01
Colin Hume
Created on January 27, 2026
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Transcript
01
Use quotation marks for exact matches
02
Exclude words with a minus sign
03
Search within a specific website
Search for specific file types
04
Use OR to broaden results
05
Use OR to broadenyour results
Tell Google to accept either term when searching
Example: Helpful when different terms mean roughly the same thing
"renewable energy" OR "solar power"
Search within a specific website
Limit results to one site or domain by using site:
Example: Amazing for searching universities, news outlets or government sites
site:bbc.co.uk "artificial intelligence"
Search for specific file types
Need PDFs, PowerPoints, or Excel files? Try using :filetype
Example: Gold for reports, white papers and academic work
"cybersecurity policy" filetype:pdf
Use quotation marks for exact matches
Put quotes around a phrase to search for that exact wording
Example: Great for names, song lyrics or exact definitions
43%
As of January 2026, 43% of all advanced searches on the internet used quotation marks
"climate change policy impact"
Exclude words with a minus sign
If a word keeps muddying your results, kick it out
Double meanings (polysemy) significantly affect internet searches, often making it more challenging for search engines to determine user intent, leading to mixed or irrelevant results
Example: Perfect when a word has multiple meanings
jaguar -car