Uncover “Hidden” Information

Google currently indexes over 1 Trillion unique URLs. With so much information, the question is not if your information is available, it is how to sift through this information to find what you are looking for. Many of these pages which may have the information you are seeking remain buried under results that Google deems to be more relevant.
The Keyword Location technique allows you to request that your keywords appear in the title, body, or URL of a web page. This allows you narrow your search by filtering away irrelevant results, allowing your desired information to come to the top.

Keyword Location
1. Think about where you want your keywords to appear, the title, body, or URL of the webpage
2. Type [allintitle:] [allinurl:] [allintext:] followed by the keywords and all of the key words will appear in the selected location
3. Type [intitle:] [inurl:] [intext:] followed by the keywords and the first term will appear in that specific location.
4. For example [allintext:google search training]

How it Works
Google looks to see if your terms appear in these three areas. The keyword Location technique limits your results to one of those specific areas. For example, you can find reviews on any product by typing [product inrul:reviews]. This will return results only from web pages that are reviews of that specific product. For example [salesforce.com inurl:reviews]. You can also apply this same strategy to discovering leads, such as [vp sales inurl:"contact info”]

Next week we will cover Number Range—a fantastic skill for applying a numerical range to anything.

Have Google provide current results

Getting current information is often one of the most important elements in obtaining high value information. By using the Date Range Filter, you can limit your results to the past day, week, month, year, or search within a specific time range.

The Date Range can be accessed from the Google Search Bar, or from the Advanced Search Page.

Date Range-In Google Search Bar
1. Enter your keywords into the Google Search Bar, click search.
2. Click the Show Options button on the top right of the results page.
3. Open click on the date filter you want to limit your results to, or open the timeline view.

Date Range-In Advanced Search Page
1. Go to the Advanced Search Page.
2. Enter your keywords.
3. Expand the Advanced Search Page.
4. Next to the date box, select the time you want to limit your results to.

How it works
Date is one of the features that have changed the most within Google. For a time, Google would date a webpage based on when it was last crawled by Google’s index, not when it was actually published. Fortunately, Google is now able to distinguish from when a document was published to the web. This is simply a feature that Google’s algorithm is now able to take into account.

Knowing how to use the Date Range feature is essential, since Google tries to provide the most relevant results. One of Google’s major measures for quality is the number of links (or connections) that lead to a certain website or webpage. Websites that have been around for longer often have more links leading to them than new websites, simply because they have had the time to get more links. Old and out of date websites can be shown more frequently since they have more links. Using the Date Range filter overrides Google regular algorithm, allowing you to find the information you are looking for.

Next week, learn how to find exceedingly relevant information with Keyword Location!

Learn. Think. Find.

Jeff Alhadeff
Boost eLearning
Research Desk

Find information packed documents-Tip of the Week

One of the most effective techniques in Google is the ability to combine your keywords with specific document formats. This means you can get highly relevant reports (PDFs), charts (PPTs), and spreadsheets (XLSs) all by properly using the Google Search Bar.

Filetype Search
1. Enter your keywords into the Google Search Bar

2. Follow your keywords with [Filetype:] and the file type you are looking for: pdf, ppt, xls, doc, and more.

3. For example: [findability without complexity filetype:pdf]

How it Works
When Google indexes any document that is on the web, it identifies the type of document that it is. By using Filetype Search, Google restricts your results to documents that contain that specific description.

Filetype is even more powerful when you search within a specific site. By combining Filetype with Site Search, you can look for PDF reports only from an education institution, or a business that is a thought leader. This combined search allows you to view incredibly relevant search results.

The Filetype lesson demonstrates how to find information packed presentations on Korean auto sales.

Next week: Keep your results current, or search within a specific date range with Date Range Search.

Google's Timeline Search is Back!

Google's timeline search was added back on today. It can now be seen under the show options feature, just as it was up until last week.

I have no clue why it went off or why it came back on. Maybe the kind emails protesting the good people at Google were listened to?

Declutter your Google search results page

Avoid Drudgery:
How to easily remove advertisements and leave only high value information in your search results with 1 quick skill!

The first search a person does on an unfamiliar topic is usually the most painful. The results are often filled with unwanted and irrelevant results.

Using the minus sign, Not Search, is the fastest way to cut away the clutter from your search results.


Not Search:
1. Enter your best guess keywords on a topic.
2. Notice the keywords that are pulling in irrelevant results.
3. In the search bar, enter the keywords that are triggering the irrelevant results with a minus sign in front of them.
4. desired term 1 desired term 2 -undesired term 1 -undesired term 2

How it Works:
Google offers results based on the keywords that you entered into the search bar. Often, one term is highly correlated with other terms. If the other, unwanted, terms are more popular, Google will assume that you are looking for information on those terms as well.

If you are just starting out on a search, this might not be such a problem.

But if you already know what you are looking for… then this element of Google is downright aggravating.

Google realizes that users might want to override this feature, and therefore offers the minus sign, which allows sites with that specific keyword to stop showing.