Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on Zety.com.
Work always feels like so much work. There are high expectations from your supervisors, constant pressure and tight deadlines.
The good news? You’re about to find out how to take some stress out of your work life.
I’m going to show you how to properly use one of the most powerful tools you’ve got at hand: Google Search.
This list of Google Search tricks will advance your search and let you zero in on what you’re really looking for.
Whether you’re trying to get exactly what you need fast and effectively or if you want to boost productivity, these tips and tricks are sure to make things easier for you at the office, at your desk, and even in your personal life.
1. Double Exclude
- Search command: brownie recipe -milk -eggs
- Results include: All pages that rank for brownie recipe except those that include milk or eggs.
You can mix and combine Google Search commands to better refine your query.
A negative before a word will omit it from your results. Add a space and then another negative keyword to omit more than one.
This example search will give you brownie recipes that include neither milk nor eggs.
2. The Boolean Search
- Search command: dog AND cat
- Results include: Pages that have both the words dog and cat
- Search command: dog OR cat
- Results include: Pages that have either the word dog or cat
- Search command: dog|cat
- Results include: Same as using OR
Use AND or OR (all caps) to perform a Boolean search by sticking it between two other words. The pipe operator (|) is the same as using OR.
3. The Tilde for Similar Words
- Search command: ~large
- Results include: Pages that have words similar to large, such as big, great, massive, and others
The tilde symbol generally means approximately, about, or around in English, and placing one just before a search term will broaden your query to match. Note that synonym searches are the default now, so this is all but redundant.
4. Temperature, Weather and Forecast
- Search command: forecast
- Results include: Your local weather and forecast summary
- Search command: temperature
- Results include: Your local weather and forecast summary
- Search command: weather 11106
- Results include: Weather and forecast summary for zip code 11106
- Search command: forecast 11106
- Results include: Weather and forecast summary for zip code 11106
- Search command: temperature 11106
- Results include: Weather and forecast summary for zip code 11106
Weather, temperature, and forecast seem to provide the same, albeit convenient, rich card result.
5. Everything about the Google Calculator
- Search command: calculator
- Results include: A full scientific calculator at the top
- Search command: 1+1
- Results include: Sum (addition)
- Search command: 2-2
- Results include: Difference (subtraction)
- Search command: 3*3
- Results include: Product (multiplication)
- Search command: 4/4
- Results include: Quotient (division)
- Search command: 5^5
- Results include: 5 to the fifth power, or 5⁵
- Search command: 30% of 100
- Results include: Percentage
These calculator Google shortcuts explain themselves, but how cool are they?
If you live and work in your browser, skip opening up the calculator app on your computer or phone and use Google instead. No need to type an equal sign (=), the search button takes care of that.
6. Determine That Date
- Search command: Easter
- Results include: The current year’s Easter date
You can easily use Google Search to remind you of an upcoming holiday, so you can plan accordingly. Note that if a holiday has just passed, it will show you that one — the current year’s date, rather than the future date.
7. More Unit Conversions
- Search command: 2 kg to lb
- Results include: How many pounds in two kilograms
- Search command: 32 fahrenheit to celsius
- Results include: How many degrees celsius equal 32 degrees Fahrenheit
- Search command: 100 usd to eur
- Results include: How many euros equal 100 U.S. dollars
- Search command: 12 inch in cm
- Results include: How many centimeters in 12 inches
You can do so many unit-to-unit conversions with Google. From currencies to measurements, Google’s got you covered.
Google pro tip: You can use both “to” or “in” for your search commands.
8. Get Info on a Site
- Search command: info:nytimes.com
- Results include: A single-result SERP with just the homepage
This one used to be more helpful, but since Google has moved to zero-result SERPs, this particular Google command has lost some of its power. Still, you may find some use for it.
9. Get Cached Version of a Site
- Search command: cache:djaunter.com
- Results include: The latest cached version of that specific URL from Google
Using cache: before a URL will immediately bring up the Google User Content cached version of that page. Note that it requires a specific URL per result, so it can include subfolders, child pages, and subdomains.
10. Investigate Company Information
- Search command: founder google
- Results include: Snippet with rich cards including founders of Google
- Search command: ceo google
- Results include: Rich card with current CEO of Google
- Search command: cfo google
- Results include: Rich card with current CFO of Google
Are you trying to know to whom to address a cover letter? Perhaps doing some competitor research?
Google Search gives rich card results for any of a number of searches. Just type in the position (CEO, CTO, etc.) followed by the company, and voila!
11. More Advanced Mathematics
- Search command: solve rhombus
- Results include: Rhombus dimensions based on other input
- Search command: solve triangle
- Results include: Triangle dimensions based on other input
- Search command: solve rectangle
- Results include: Rectangle dimensions based on other input
- Search command: solve circle
- Results include: Circle dimensions based on other input
- Search command: solve pentagon
- Results include: Pentagon dimensions based on other input
- Search command: solve hexagon
- Results include: Hexagon dimensions based on other input
We brought up Google’s impressive calculator functionality before, but Google can offer way more advanced mathematics.
You can get the answers to geometry dimensions of several shapes, and you can solve for area, side, perimeter, diagonal, diagonal (p), diagonal (q), base, height, side, side (a), side (c), gamma, length, radius, diameter, and circumference.
12. In Titles, URLs and Anchors
- Search command: intitle:best avocado ice cream
- Results include: Pages with these keywords (may skip one or two) in page title
- Search command: allintitle:best avocado ice cream
- Results include: Pages with each and every keyword in page title
- Search command: inposttitle:best avocado ice cream
- Results include: Same as intitle
- Search command: allinposttitle:best avocado ice cream
- Results include: Same as allintitle
- Search command: inanchor:avocado ice cream
- Results include: Pages with these words in anchor text (may skip some)
- Search command: allinanchor:avocado
- Results include: Pages with each and every keyword in anchor text
- Search command: inurl:avocado ice cream
- Results include: Pages with these keywords (may skip one or two) in URL slug
- Search command: allinurl:avocado ice cream
- Results include: Pages with each and every keyword in URL slug
Remember intext and allintext? These are the same, but they let you search only in the titles, URLs, or anchor texts of pages and articles.
13. Search Through Social Media
- Search command: bananas @twitter
- Results include: Twitter profiles, tweets, etc. that include bananas
- Search command: #bananas
- Results include: Anything with hashtag-bananas
If you’re in marketing, or you just want to sift through all the noise, use the @ or # symbols to help you along. The @ will work with other social media platforms, such as Facebook.
14. Get Song Names and a List of Episodes
- Search command: songs by ed sheeran
- Results include: An interactive snippet with thumbnails of all songs (with dates) by Ed Sheeran
- Search command: game of thrones episodes
- Results include: An interactive snippet with thumbnails of all episodes (with dates) of GoT
Similar to the author’s book search, you can get the same snippet for show episodes and singer’s songs, as well.
15. Sports Scores and Overview
- Search command: yankees
- Results include: Latest scores, standings, and upcoming games
- Search command: NYY
- Results include: Same as above
Use Google to get a detailed look at your favorite team. This rich card offering is really rich, including stats, scores per inning (baseball), upcoming games, news, division rankings, and more.
16. Earthquake
- Search command: earthquake
- Results include: USGS info showing the time, place, and magnitude of recent earthquakes.
Typing in earthquake gives you United States Geological Survey information for recent earthquakes around the world. And, if it’s affecting you, quick access to safety advice.
17. Sunrise and Sunset
- Search command: sunrise
- Results include: Upcoming sunrise time in your locale
- Search command: sunset
- Results include: Upcoming sunset time in your locale
- Search command: sunrise in san francisco
- Results include: Upcoming sunrise time in specific city
- Search command: sunset in jakarta
- Results include: Upcoming sunset time in specific city
Get the exact sunrise or sunset time in your city by simply searching for either word. If you want to know the sunrise or sunset for another city, just add that city to your query. Simple and effective.
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