
Search for words in a webpage's body text Here is a list of ten Google search operators you may find useful:Ĭombine searches (works like Boolean operator OR) The important thing to remember when using this technique is that there can’t be a space between your search operator (e.g. For example, if I wanted to search for the exact phrase “fish and chips”, limit my search to domains located in the United Kingdom and exclude bacon, my search phrase would look like this: “fish and chips” .uk -bacon. However, Google and other search engines have also added to the Boolean system with other operators that you can simply type into the search bar to make your search much more granular.

Looking for results in a specific language or on a specific website? Your easiest option is probably to go to Google’s Advanced Search page to tailor your search. Parentheses make your search intention more clear – in this case by entering “breakfast recipe” AND (bacon OR eggs).
#Boolean search symbols how to
Parentheses: What if you want to combine several search terms – for example, you are looking for a breakfast recipe and you’d like it to contain bacon, eggs, or both? Typing breakfast recipe AND bacon OR eggs is confusing for the search engine, which doesn’t know how to prioritize the search terms. Quotation marks: If you want your search results to include a specific phrase, put it in quotation marks like this: “bacon and eggs recipe”. NOT: If you want results about bacon but don’t want them to include eggs, you can use NOT to sift that term out: bacon NOT eggs. All the search results will contain one or the other keyword, and maybe both. If you are interested in either bacon or eggs, you can search for bacon OR eggs. OR: This operator lets you search for several terms simultaneously. AND becomes useful in more complicated search phrases, like the example below. Please note that AND is not strictly necessary – if you search for bacon eggs, by default the search engine will return the same results as a search for bacon AND eggs – namely, all listed results will contain both the word “bacon” and the word “eggs”. How Boolean search operators work AND: If you want your search to contain more than one key word, you can add AND. Boolean search operators are commonly used in database searches and will work in internet search engines as well. It is important to remember that the three operators must always be written in ALL CAPS to differentiate them from the search terms. To help produce more accurate and relevant results, the symbols () and “” can also be used with the Boolean search terms. Based on his system of logic, a Boolean search combines keywords with three “operators” – AND, OR and NOT – to refine and organize searches. You may be wondering what a “Boolean” is – or how to pronounce it! Boolean operators were named in honor of 19 th century British mathematician George Boole, the inventor of Boolean algebra.

So how do you search for a keyword? Try these operators, alone or in combination, to get the results you need in seconds!īoolean operators: The name may be unusual, but the search results are accurate! Boolean operators
