20 interesting tricks of the Google search engine

20 interesting tricks of the Google search engine

The number of people who use the Google search engine daily can be counted by hundreds. In fact, a large part of the population has it as their home page in their usual browser. The reason is simple. It is comfortable, practical and today Google Search dominates the Internet. It is rare the day that we do not use it to search for something, be it a website, question or a product that we want to buy. To give you an idea, the search engine shows more than a billion results every day to people in 150 countries.

Now, do you think you are taking advantage of all the potential? Because, in case you didn't know, Google Search can give you much more than just writing a question or request in the search bar. Here we show you 20 tricks to get even more out of it.

1. Use a colon to search for specific sites

There may be times when you need to Google specific content or articles from a certain website. To do this, you just have to enter the topic or word you want to search in the following way.

Andy Rubin site: tuexperto.com

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This will search all the content about Android's father Andy Rubin on our website tuexperto.com . All other search results will be removed. Thus, this is the shortcut to use if you need to find specific content from a particular site.

2. Use the asterisk wildcard

The asterisk can come in handy at times, especially if you want to find song lyrics without knowing the title of the song. Let's look at an example.

"Come * right now * me"

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You have heard some single words, but you are not right with the song that may be. The Google search engine will search for the previous phrase knowing that the asterisks can be any word. Most of the time, you'll see that they are lyrics to the Beatles song “Come Together,” but other results will also show up that could end your search.

3. Find sites similar to other sites

This is a good trick, very practical if you want to find content related to a specific page . Let's say you know a very good website on a topic that interests you a lot and you want to see if there are other similar ones. Searching for similar content is as simple as entering the following command in the Google search engine.

related: tiendanimal.es

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Logically, here tiendanimal.es would be the example website you want to investigate to find out if there are similar ones in the Google universe. All places that sell food and all kinds of objects for pets. It is certainly a powerful Google search tool that can help you find new sites to browse.

4. Search for several words at once

Google search is flexible. The search engine knows that you may not find what you want by just entering a word or phrase. Therefore, it allows you to perform a multiple search. Using this trick, you can search for a word or phrase along with another second word or phrase. This can help you narrow your search so that you find exactly what you are looking for. Here an example.

"The best ways to prepare for a job interview" OR "How to prepare for a job interview"

By putting this you will be looking for both phrases. However, it can also be done by words.

chocolate OR white chocolate

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Thus, you will be able to locate in Google all the pages that talk about chocolate or white chocolate.

5. Use zip codes and other commands

As you are seeing, it is possible to enter various commands in the Google search engine to obtain instant results. The goal is to get the information you need quickly to see it immediately at the top of search results. This will save you time and effort as you won't have to click through a bunch of annoying links. Here are some other examples of commands that you can enter into Google.

  • Time * zip code *: This command will show you the time in the zip code you enter. You can also use city and town names instead of zip codes, but it may not be as accurate if there are several in the same city.
  • What is the definition of * word * or Define: * word *: Either one will show you the exact meaning of a word.
  • Time * place *: With this command you can know the time of any place in the world.

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These quick commands can solve a web search that is usually several clicks long and condense it into one. Therefore, it is very useful to get the information you need repeatedly.

6. Have fun with Pac-Man

The Google search engine contains fun secrets and tricks that can get you out of trouble on more than one occasion. Did you know that just by entering a command you can play the funny Pac Man with your computer keyboard? You just have to put in the search bar "Google pac-man" (without the quotes) and you will instantly see a small screen with the message "click to play". Take a few games in the downtime you have or when you want to de-stress for a while from work.

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7. Money and unit conversions

A simple Google search can help you quickly and accurately convert both the units of measure and the value of a currency. In this way, to go from miles to kilometers you just have to put a figure in front to convert a certain number. For example, "10 miles to kilometer" will show you how many kilometers are in 10 miles.

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Like the previous measure, you can add numbers to find exact conversions for a certain amount of money: "25 dollars to euro". With this simple trick you won't have to be looking for websites to convert distances or currencies, saving you a lot of time.

9. Track your packages

Are you waiting for a package at home? You can use the Google search engine to find out what process it is in. You just have to enter the tracking number of UPS, Seur, Fedex or the company in question directly in the Google search bar. You will see how the tracking information of your shipment is automatically displayed. This is much easier than going to specific sites, waiting for them to load, and then searching there. No examples are needed for this. Just enter your tracking number and check the status.

10. Sunrise or sunset

If you want to know the exact time the sun rises or sets each morning or afternoon, you just have to enter the following phrases in the Google search engine : "sunrise" or "sunset". Then include the place you want to get the information about.

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11. Track your flight

Like the previous trick of tracking courier packages, you can use Google's search engine to track a flight . If you type in the flight number, Google will give you information with updated schedules, as well as information about the terminal / gate, etc.

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12. Find local attractions

If you are going on a trip this summer and want to know which monuments and places of interest are a mandatory stop, you can use a simple trick in the Google search engine to tell you about it. You just have to write the name of the city or municipality that you are going to visit with the word attractions right behind it. Example: Milan attractions. In this way, you will see all the things that you cannot miss during your stay in that place.

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13. Listen to your favorite songs

Music lovers can also use the Google search engine to locate the most popular songs by their favorite artists. If you are passionate about music, you just have to put "X songs" in the search bar and a list will automatically appear to consult. This is a great trick if you want to quickly know the titles of great topics.

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14. Improve your math

There are times when we have to do a mathematical operation and we do not have a calculator at hand. Don't worry because the Google search engine is useful even for that. You just have to type "calculator" (without quotes) in the search bar and then one will appear instantly.

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15. Search sites by location

Finding places of interest in your city or any other is as simple as putting what you want to find followed by the zip code of the place. Imagine that you want to find a good teahouse where you live to take your friends for tea. The Google search engine will give you all the keys with just one phrase. Example: teahouse 18012.

teahouse

16. Check the cinema hours

Likewise, through the Google search engine you can be aware of all the films that are being broadcast in the cinemas near your home. You just have to put "movies" (without the quotes) in the search bar to show all the currently available options. By clicking on one you can see the schedules in the different cinemas, both for today and for the next three days.

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17. Search only in the title

Searching with the "intitle:" parameter will allow you to locate all the pages that have the specific text you are looking for in the title. Imagine that you want to find pages whose exact title is "shoe shopping." You just have to put in the search bar intitle: "shoe purchases" to obtain web pages that have in their title "shoe purchases", without variations.

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18. Filter by type of documents

This is another very interesting trick that will allow you to filter the search results by the type of document. You just have to put in the Google search bar "filetype: pdf" (without the quotes) if you want to locate files in this format.

19. Search the cache of a site

The cache is where the newly processed data is temporarily stored. Basically, we can say that it is the fast access memory of a PC, so it serves to speed up the loading of a website. Google does something similar with the millions of pages it analyzes and saves an image of what a website was like the last time it analyzed it. To do this you just have to enter "cache:" (without quotes) in the search engine followed by the web address.

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20. Find a page that links to another

If you want to find all the places that cite articles on a specific website, you just have to enter the command "link:" (without quotes) in the search bar for Google to give you the results. Keep in mind that the more specific the URL is, the better results you will achieve. Example: link: tuexperto.com.