Wildcard Search

The Wildcard Operator allows you to have Google fill in the blank. This is not only an easy skill, but can really start to change the way you think about looking for information on the Internet.

Wildcard Search
1. Place an asterisk in place of a term you do not know.
2. Use Phrase Search in combination to narrow your search.
3. For example: [“Starbucks has * employees”]

How it Works
Google identifies the term that appears between the term “has” and the term “employees,” placing it in bold. In the example demonstrated, you can see that different numbers are listed, depending if it is listing the number of employees globally, or just in the Seattle headquarters. This is quick way to determine the size of an opportunity.

You can also use more than one asterisk to have Google fill in multiple terms.