Advanced search is a built-up feature, available in almost every search engine currently on the Web. As the name suggests, this feature allows the user to add additional requirements into a search field, thus limiting the number of results to those that are most likely to be the one a user is looking for.
Advanced Search features also give the search engine additional information to help refine the search, making it deductive as it is abductive. If you know how to use this feature correctly, you will be able to find everything you are looking for online.
One of the main things you need to know about Advanced Search is that punctuation helps refine your search to a stunning degree. Certain punctuation marks can be used to provide additional instructions to Google’s search.
By typing into a search field, “coffeeshops in boston ma”, you limit the search to websites that uses the specific word order. This removes generated search results that have phrases like “coffeeshops” or “boston ma” placed anywhere within Google’s meta-descriptions. You will only see results if the phrase “coffeeshops in boston ma” is written in that explicit way.
Another common punctuation mark is the minus or dash symbol. When you place a minus or dash sign in front a word in the search box (i.e. “car -Ferrari”), Google will produce results that include the word “car” but exclude any website that includes the word “Ferrari”.
At this point, you may be asking yourself, what would be the engine that had the most intuitive and easy to use advanced search feature? The answer probably will not surprise you – we believe it is Google.
This is because Google allows you to access additional features that easily let you refine your search. Between the two examples provided above, you can find options that allow you to search for: “all these words”, “this exact wording or phrase”, “one or more of these words”.
You also have the option to block unwanted words you don’t want appearing in your search results. If you are looking for something about “dogs” you can block all the results that are related to “cats”. It allows you to find content that is specific to dogs instead of content that discusses general pet ownership.
As a user of search engines, advanced search features make each engine an incredibly reliable tool. If you are an entrepreneur who needs to know more about how online traffic is finding you, determining how often your online traffic uses advanced search features is a great way to plan your next marketing move!
