How to Use Google Advanced Search for Better Research

What Is Google Advanced Search?

Google Advanced Search allows you to make much precise hunt queries than a accepted hunt to assistance you probe topics much efficiently. 

Writers and academics usage it for precocious taxable exploration. And marketers often trust connected it for rival website analysis. 

For example, accidental you’re researching HR bundle and lone privation to look astatine sources from the United Kingdom. 

Here’s the quality betwixt a modular hunt for “hr software” and an precocious hunt focused connected the United Kingdom and sites with the .uk top-level domain (TLD).

You tin besides execute precocious searches successful the regular Google hunt barroom by utilizing search operators, which we’ll screen later. 

In either case, precocious searches successful Google tin assistance you find pages that are much applicable to your probe goals. 

How to Do a Google Advanced Search

To usage the precocious Google hunt engine, navigate to google.com/advanced_search successful your web browser.

Complete the “Find pages with…” conception to refine your hunt to circumstantial presumption oregon subtopics. Or filter retired words oregon phrases you don’t privation to spot results for.

Then, scroll down to the “Then constrictive your results by…” conception to take further filters from the drop-down menus.

You tin constrictive results by:

• Language
• Region
• Last update
• Site oregon domain (can besides beryllium utilized to specify a top-level domain)
• Terms appearing
• File type
• Usage rights

Click “Advanced Search” erstwhile you’re done.

How to Use Advanced Google Search Operators

Advanced hunt operators (ASOs) are peculiar characters and symbols you tin adhd to the modular Google hunt barroom to get much precise results.

For example, a hunt query mightiness see 3 operators: quotation marks, “OR,” and the minus sign.

These operators archer Google to look for pages containing nonstop matches of the phrases “hr software” oregon “hr platform”—but not pages that notation recruiting.

Here are immoderate reasons you whitethorn privation to usage hunt operators:

To Find Specific Information

The pursuing hunt operators tin assistance you find circumstantial information:

• Quotation marks (“”) constrictive your hunt to nonstop matches of a connection oregon operation
  • Example: “romantic literature”
• The minus motion (-) omits hunt results that see the connection aft the minus motion
  •  Example: “romantic lit -russia”
• The asterisk (*) serves arsenic a placeholder for different words, variations, oregon spellings
  • Example: “romantic lit by *”
• The connection and (AND) limits hunt results to pages that incorporate each of the presumption listed
  • Example: “romanticism AND europe”
• The connection oregon (OR) lets you hunt for immoderate presumption listed
  • Example: “romanticism OR literature”

Suppose you’re an world researching American people civilization and similar ocular arts. A basal “american folk” hunt shows mostly music-related pages. 

To exclude music-related pages, adhd the minus motion operator. Like this: 

To Explore Sources

Other hunt operators assistance you hunt circumstantial sites oregon root types:

• “source:” identifies hunt results from circumstantial quality sources
  • Example: “source:nytimes.com”
• “site:” is utile for taxable searches connected circumstantial sites
  • Example: “site:smithsonian.com”
• “filetype:” lets you hunt for circumstantial record types
  • Example: “filetype:pdf”

Type these operators earlier oregon aft your probe taxable successful the modular Google hunt bar. 

For example, you tin usage “site:” to hunt folkartmuseum.org for mentions of “portraiture.”

The hunt motor results pages (SERPs) volition lone amusement applicable results from folkartmuseum.org. 

To Analyze Competitor Websites

Marketers tin usage hunt operators to probe rival websites:

• “site:” lets you spot each of the indexed pages of a competitor’s website
  • Example: “site:bamboohr.com” 
• “site:[domain] topic” helps to find pages covering a definite taxable connected a competitor’s tract
  • Example: “recruiting site:bamboohr.com”
• “inurl:” enables you to find websites utilizing circumstantial keywords successful their URLs
  • Example: “inurl:recruiting”
• “allinurl:” lets you find websites utilizing a operation of circumstantial presumption successful their URLs
  • Example: “allinurl:best hr bundle b2b”

For instance, to spot however profoundly a rival covers a topic, effort a “site:[competitor site] [topic]” search. Like “site:norton.com phishing”:

Or leverage an SEO instrumentality similar Semrush’s Domain Overview for casual rival website analysis. 

Enter a domain URL, prime a location, and click “Search.”

The instrumentality volition show:

• Which pages connected the domain are indexed
• Which topics the domain covers
• Which integrated and paid keywords they’re ranking for
• The estimated magnitude of paid and integrated postulation they’re getting

To Find Backlink Opportunities

Certain hunt operators assistance marketers find sites for link building:

• “Intitle:” lets you find pages with a peculiar connection successful the rubric
  • Example: “intitle:hr tools”
• “Inurl:” allows you to hunt for “write for us” pages connected sites related to your taxable
  • Example: “human resources inurl:write-for-us”
• “Allintext:” to find references to your marque connected different sites
  • Example: “allintext:renew hr” (use the minus relation to exclude your ain site)
• “allintitle:” lets you find pages with each specified words successful the title

For example, to find pages mentioning the words “best,” “hr,” and “tools” successful the title, try: “allintitle:best hr tools.”

Or usage the Link Building Tool to observe applicable sites for nexus building. Create a task for your domain. 

Then, click the “Go to prospects” fastener successful the “Overview” tab.

You’ll spot a database of sites linking to competitors but not to your site. If you find a bully prospect, click “To successful progress” to adhd it to your outreach list.

When you’re acceptable to scope out, spell to the “In Progress” tab, find the website, and click “Contact.” Draft your outreach email asking for a nexus to your site. 

Tips to Get Better Results with Google Search

If an precocious hunt successful Google doesn’t instrumentality what you’re looking for, effort these techniques to refine your results: 

• Reorder keywords, effort variations, oregon hunt related keywords
• Use keyword modifiers to marque your query much specific
• Check related searches to spot however others are researching the topic
• Look astatine Google SERP features like People Also Ask (PAA) boxes and AI Overviews for speedy answers 
• Cross-reference information by checking aggregate hunt motor results 

Gain More Insights for Research

Once you cognize however to hunt Google with precocious options, see analyzing keywords aboriginal successful your probe to amended ratio and accuracy. 

Use the Keyword Magic Tool to find variations and modifiers that tin assistance constrictive your queries. You tin besides brace these keywords with precocious hunt operators. 

After searching your topic, click connected the modifiers successful the left-hand sidebar to spot keyword variations.

Then, adhd applicable keywords to a database for speedy notation passim your research.