Google is the king of the search engines, and with it you can find a variety of sites with just one keyword. However, inputting one keyword isn’t always especially specific; and can throw up a whole host of irrelevant websites and pages. With search operators you can further refine your Google searches.

Exclude a word

Often a search engine keyword can bring up variable websites. A good example is that of apples. When you input the keyword apples into the search engine the first website listed at the top of the Google search engine is the Apple software company, and below that other sites pertaining to the apple fruit.

You can remove pages pertaining to Apple software by adding a dash (-) before a second keyword that will exclude all results that include that keyword. To remove the Apple software websites listed, add something like -Mac after the apples keyword. Then the keyword becomes:

apples -mac

Input this into Google now. You should find that the link to the Apple website previously at the top of Google has disappeared. Flick through the Google pages, and you will find far fewer, if any, pages about Apple software. You can also expand the operator by adding apples -mac -software.

Search within a site

You can also search specific websites for pages with Google. When you add the site operator, Google will remove all other sites except the one included in the keyword. Input a keyword such as:

football site:BBC.co.uk

When input into Google this keyword will find football pages on the BBC website only. As such, you can bypass site search boxes with this Google operator.

Search for a quote

To make your searches more specific add “” around the keyword. This will find pages that include the exact text included within the quote. For example, input this keyword, “These beautiful images capture the many ways that snow can transform a landscape, from the hushed grandeur of the forest to the beckoning warmth of a cozy cottage and the magic of snow-covered city streets.” The page that includes that text is at the top of the Google search engine.

Combine searches

One of the most effective operators for combining searches is the OR query. With this you can search for pages that include two, or more, keywords. Input this keyword into Google:

Microsoft or Apple

Google will then find a variety of website pages that include both Microsoft and Apple, and other pages that include just one of the keywords. Without the operator Google will typically show only pages with both of the keywords.

Conclusion

They are a few of the keyword operators that you can input to Google search engine. With them Google will find more specific websites and pages.