Searching with Google
© 2004 Reprint by permission only. All rights reserved.
by Matt Hyatt

Quick – what’s the fastest what to find a picture of a ’57 Chevy on the Internet? How about the lyrics to the Gilligan’s Island theme song? Or where to buy a spare battery for a Motorola cell phone? For many, the answer to all these questions is Google (www.google.com), the most popular Internet search engine.

A basic search on Google couldn’t be any easier. Just type in a few words about the topic you’re looking for and you’ll usually get links to hundreds of related websites. But sometimes that list can be overwhelming, so it helps to know a few tricks to narrow your search.

The quickest way to narrow a Google search is to be very specific about what you’re trying to find. A search for “Motorola P280 battery” will yield more relevant results than “cell phone battery.” Beware of going too far with this concept, though. Since Google only returns pages that include all of your search terms, entering too many key words may cause Google to miss something you’d like to see. A search for “Casio DL-220A calculator ribbon” returns just two results, but “Casio calculator ribbon” returns more than ten thousand.

It’s also possible to limit results by excluding certain words with the minus sign. As you might expect, a search for “Georgia campgrounds” includes thousands of a web pages about campgrounds in Georgia. But you might be surprised how many of the results are related to RV parks. A search for “Georgia campgrounds –rv” returns only pages without the term “rv”.

Need a map? If you’ve got an address, Google can find one. Just type the street address and ZIP code (no city or state needed) for links to popular web-based street maps. A search for “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue 20500” returns links to two different maps centered on the White House.

Have you ever written down a phone number and forgotten who it belonged to? Google may be able to help. Just type the number you’d like to identify in the format xxx-xxx-xxxx. If the number is listed in the phone book, it will show up on Google. A search for “770-441-2520” yields this writer’s company website, plus several other sites that list our phone number. Just for fun, type in your own phone number. Chances are, there’s more information there than you might have guessed.

If you think searching for your phone number is interesting, you might want to search for your name, too. This practice has become so common that it’s been given a name – so don’t be surprised if someone asks you if you’ve ever “googled” yourself. The best way to search for your own name, or any specific phrase for that matter, is to enclose your search terms in quotes (“). A search for “George Washington Carver” (with the quotes) will yield more relevant results about the famous educator and researcher than “George Washington Carver” (without the quotes).

Google can find pictures, too. Just click Images from the Google website to find pictures that match your search terms. Thinking of visiting Hawaii and want to see some pictures first? A quick search for “Hawaii” yields thousands of related pictures. Want to know what to wear on your trip? Try searching for “Hawaiian shirts” and prepare to be dazzled!

Google’s new Froogle tool is great for finding a specific product for sale on the web. Say you’d like to buy Monopoly for your nephew’s birthday. And since you know your nephew loves the game, you’ll want to get him a replica of the 1935 first edition of Monopoly. All you have to do is zip on over to the Google website, click Froogle, and type in “1935 Monopoly”. Within seconds, you’ll be presented with dozens of online vendors selling replica 1935 Monopoly games.

There are lots of good reasons Google has become the most popular search engine on the Internet. It’s simple, powerful, and easy to use. For many people, it’s more than just a favorite search engine. It may be their favorite website - period.

Matt Hyatt is founder of Rocket IT, an IT consulting firm near Atlanta, Georgia. For technology help with your business, contact Rocket IT at 770-441-2520 or visit online at www.rocketit.com.

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