INFOGRAPHIC : Get More Out Of Google

Google may be the dominant search engine on the web but when it comes to finding something specific, many people have no idea how to look and what to type into that search box. Many people I know just plug in random words and phrases and hope, with crossed fingers, that what they need will magically pop up.

Well as I like to say to them, it doesn’t work that way. Google isn’t HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey (at least not yet anyway) and it doesn’t read minds. If you want Google to give you relevant results, you need to know how to search properly and which keywords you need to enter (and not enter).

Step forward this rather well designed and informative infographic, courtesy of HackCollege which gives a nice rundown of some of the most useful operators and shortcuts. It also gives examples of how you would look for specific files and pages such as PDF’s and webpage archives.

Were all of these operators and shortcuts already known to you? Or did you learn something new from it? Do you have any other search tips you’d like to share? If so, let us know in the comments below.