Google Search Secrets Tricks

By 2011-11-24 09:46:24 UTC Among certain circles (my family, some of my coworkers, etc.) I'm known for my Googling skills. I can find anything, anywhere, in no time flat.

• Google Search Tips Tricks And Secrets

Google Search Tips Tricks And Secrets

My Google-fu is a helpful skill, but not one that's shrouded in too much mystery — I've just mastered some very helpful search tricks and shortcuts and learned to quickly identify the best info in a list of results. Sadly, though web searches have become and integral part of the academic research landscape, the art of the search is an increasingly lost one. A at Illinois Wesleyan University found that fewer than 25% of students could perform a 'reasonably well-executed search.' Wrote researchers, 'The majority of students — of all levels — exhibited significant difficulties that ranged across nearly every aspect of the search process.' That search process also included determining when to rely on Google and when to utilize scholarly databases, but on a fundamental level, it appears that many people just don't understand how to best find the information they seek using Google. Thanks to the folks at, a number of my 'secrets' are out.

The infographic below offers a helpful primer for how to best structure searches using advanced operators to more quickly and accurately drill down to the information you want. This is by no means an exhaustive list of search operators and advanced techniques, but it's a good start that will help set you on the path to becoming a Google master. Infographic via Image courtesy of.

This is where the intro normally goes, but let’s be honest with each other about the nature of this relationship. You’re going to skip right over this part, skim the big, bold headlines, and maybe click on a handful of the blue links. There’s a chance you’ll be mildly amused but you’ll most likely blast a quick puff of air out your nostrils, annoyed that you’ve already seen most or all of these tricks before. You’ll eventually click away to some other site and we’ll never see each other again. We’ll always have this post, though. Thanks for the memories. Do a Barrel Roll Search for “” without the quotes, and hold onto your desk for dear life.

Maybe you’re even a little nauseous. But the old barrel roll trick isn’t the only Easter egg Google has up its sleeve. Here are several others: Tilt/Askew If you’re obsessive and/or compulsive, this trick isn’t going to sit well with you for long.

Search for “” without the quotes. Searching for “” accomplishes the same end-result. Change it back! Change it ba-aaack! Big Answers to Mind-Bending Questions Search for “” and you’ll get your answer. It’s a real thinker. Of course, Douglas Adams fans knew the answer without having to search for it.

See also: “,” “” and “” for a few other cool calculations. Did You Mean Search for ““—did you mean nag a ram? Or try searching for “” instead. Did you mean recursion? Did you mean recursion? Did you mean recursion?

Did you mean recursion? You meant recursion, right? Zerg Rush An, search Google “” and prepare to protect your search results from a bunch of hungry Google O’s. Click them before they eat all your results. Why are you still reading this?!

Blink HTML Search for “” and OH SWEET BABY J, MY EYES! Brings back some fond memories of simpler web-based times though, doesn’t it? Just needs Bittersweet Symphony auto-playing as a MIDI file. Party Like It’s 1998 As long as we’re going old-school with blink tags, want to see what Google looked like in 1998? Believe it or believe it, all you have to do is search for “” and you’ll be whisked away. Clicking the initial search results will return the archived versions of those pages, too.