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The Ground Rules for Google Search
People often express frustration when they can’t find what they want on Google. Google is not perfect, no question. However, it is very, very good.
Often when someone is describing their Google “problem” they demonstrate some confusion with how Google works, so here are some “ground rules” to keep in mind when you are using Google for search.
How Google Search Works
Understanding how Google search works can help you be much more effective.
1. Google assumes you mean “and.”
Google assumes that when you type two (or more) words into the search bar, you want to find pages containing all of those words, regardless of how close they may – or may not – be to each other on a page.
Google thinks you are using an “and” between those words, even if you don’t type that word into your query.
Lets assume you want to find a job located in either Milwaukee, Indianapolis, or Chicago, and you type job Milwaukee Indianapolis Chicago into Google, it will assume you really mean Milwaukee and Indianapolis and Chicago and job. So, it will show you only the web pages containing all 4 of those terms
2. Capitalization doesn’t count (most of the time).
Google ignores capitalization used in queries in most circumstances. So, Google will find the same pages whether you type "Chicago" or "chicago." Makes no difference to Google, except -
The exception to the capitalization-doesn't-count rule:
Capitalization DOES matter in some situations. Using capitalization allows you to give Google some direct instructions.
Going back to our example above, if you wanted Google to find jobs for you in Milwaukee, Chicago, or Indianapolis, Google could find jobs for you in those cities if you typed the word “or” in all capitals between the city so your query would look like this:
job Milwaukee OR Chicago OR Indianapolis
If you don’t include the “OR” (in all capitals, as in the example above), Google assumes you intend an “and” between those words, so it would find only those pages which contained all the words – Milwaukee, Indianapolis, Chicago, and job.
3. Google will correct your spelling errors.
Most of the time, Google will correct what it thinks are your spelling errors. If it is pretty sure it understands what you want, it will provide results for the correctly-spelled term, but offer you a link to the spelling you specified, “Did you mean…”
4. Google uses “stemming” to find many variations of a word.
Google tries to help you find what you are seeking by sometimes showing you variations of what you want. If you search on the word “job,” it will typically also show you pages containing the word “jobs.” A search on “engineer” will typically also find “engineers,” “engineering,” and “engineered.”
5. Google ignores some words.
Just as you always suspected, Google ignores some of the words in your queries that it considers unimportant. It’s usually right. It ignores words like “the,” “in,” “of,” “for,” and other similar words. Use them if it helps you, but Google will ignore them.
What if You Don’t Want Google to “Fix” Your Query?
Sometimes Google can drive you crazy helping you. When that happens, try "Verbatim" to force Google to search for EXACTLY what you type into the search bar.
Finding and Using Google Verbatim
The smart people at Google have figured out that they don’t always know what you really want. So, they now provide a way for you to over-ride their “fixes” to your queries. It is called “Verbatim.”
When you want Google to search for exactly what you type into the search bar, you find “Verbatim” (currently) in at the top of the search results page when you click on “Search tools” and then select "All results" from the options it shows you. That link opens up a drop-down list containing the word “Verbatim.” Click on "Verbatim" and Google will run your search exactly as you specify.
Next: Google-ize Your Job Search (10 tips + 2 tricks)
Tips for structuring your Google searches to be more effective.
© Copyright, 1998 - 2013, Susan P. Joyce. All rights reserved.
About the author...
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. Since 1998, Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt.org. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg and on Google+.
