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Sharpen your search: How to enhance your Google search skills

Smart search

I was recently watching a YouTube video on coding and wanted to learn more about it. This required me to do my own research. However, I couldn’t help but comment on the video and ask for a method I could use for my search. I did not get a reply, so I started to search Google specific terms.

That is what many of us do. Google is supposed to provide the most relevant and (ideally) useful information. However, it is important to understand the search process first. There are hundreds of known factors on which a website is analysed and ranked by Google’s algorithms. Some of the main ones are specific keywords, web page relevance, quality and another is search engine optimisation (SEO), which can help promote websites in the top 5 results.

To make sure that is the case with your website, you must be aware of the following facts:
The top-ranked web sites that are also the most relevant to your search phrases will appear in Google Search. Your findings will be as good as your terms. So think about context and how specific phrases could alter the outcome. It is preferable to begin with a basic search and then add more specific phrases afterwards. For example, what do you think is a more effective search; ‘Will betadine help cure my wound?’ or ‘What is the purpose of betadine?’

Quality content comes from verified sources, while you search through results, consider website URLs and decide if that source is official (for instance, is it a government website) or just some random content. Continue this process once you’re on the page, and always check for author credentials and sources. Google may tailor your search results to your preferences depending on your history, current location, and interests. Google isn’t the only option, there are several other search engines available, including Yahoo and Bing.

Accurate search

Here are some tips on how to accurately search on Google.

   Refine your search with credible sources, such as ‘betadine: webmd.com’.

   To find the precise phrase, use quotation marks (” “): If you type in ‘Dwayne Johnson young’, you’ll receive results that include all of those terms, but not necessarily in that order. When you search for “Dwayne Johnson young” with quotes, you’ll only see results that have all of those phrases in that sequence.

   Term(s) containing a negative (-) sign are excluded: Use the minus symbol to filter out any phrases you don’t want, such as ‘best apps -android’ don’t include top Android app roundups.

–   To search for a range, use two periods (..) between the numbers: $300…$400 to receive only results that fall within that range.

–   Find one result or the other with OR: When you search LG Samsung, for example, you’ll get results for both terms, but if you search LG OR Samsung, you’ll get distinct links for LG and Samsung.

Finally, remember the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button on Google? Enter a search word on Google.com and click it to be transported to the first search result. When you know exactly what you’re searching for, it’s a great way to save time.

Eye opening, right? You can use these tricks and get the best search results in the fastest possible time. Thank me later!

Amine Mneimne is Account Manager at Cicero & Bernay Communication Consultancy, an independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA region. | www.cbpr.me