- Tip #1: Fine-Tune Your Query with More Keywords
- Tip #2: Search for Either One Word or Another
- Tip #3: Include Stop Words
- Tip #4: Exclude Irrelevant Words
- Tip #5: Search for Similar Words
- Tip #6: Search for Similar Pages
- Tip #7: Search for an Exact Phrase
- Tip #8: Use Google's Advanced Search Page
- Tip #9: Search Within Your Search Results
- Tip #10: Search Google's Other Sites
Tip #2: Search for Either One Word or Another
You might have realized this instinctively, but it's important to know that Google automatically assumes the word "and" between all the words in your query. That is, if you enter two words, Google assumes you're looking for pages that include both those words—word one and word two. It doesn't return pages that include only one of the words.
You can expand your search by looking for web pages that include either one word or another, but not necessarily both. To do this, you need to alter the default Google query by using the OR operator between the two words.
For example, if you're searching for pages about both dogs and cats, you enter the standard query dogs cats (no "and" required). But if you want to search for pages that include information about either dogs or cats (but not necessarily dogs and cats together), use the query dogs OR cats. And when you use the OR operator, be sure to type it in all uppercase, or Google will ignore it as a stop word, which we'll discuss next.