Google Search Tricks

Getting familiar with some lesser known Google search tricks can make you a much more efficient internet investigator. Aside from being the most ubiquitous search engine in the world, Google has embedded some tricks into its search process that really simplifies the efforts of its users. The only problem, of course, is that many users don’t even know they exist. Here to help resolve that unfortunate situation are five great Google search tricks. With them, you’ll be searching like a pro in no time.

1. Fast weather forecasts. As functional as weather websites have become, they’re not exactly optimized for quick use. Usually very flash heavy, they don’t work well for mobile phone or small device browsers. You can circumvent these websites by typing in “weather” and your area code in Google’s search bar. The first result loaded will be your current conditions and a quick forecast for the next few days—all loading much faster than mainstream weather websites.
2. Follow your flight. If you want to double check your flight’s departure time before a trip, you have quite a few options. Perhaps the most convenient, though, is to simply enter your airline and flight number into the Google search bar. The result will include the plane’s departure and arrival times, as well as locations. It will even tell you if your flight’s running late.
3. Specify your result's domain type. Say you’re doing some research for an academic paper and need verified .org or .edu websites as sources. There’s no need to sift through page after page of .com websites in order to find a reliable result. Simply enter “site:.org” or “site:.edu” after your search terms and only those domain name types will appear in your results.
4. Make Google a people finder. With this Google search trick, you can specifically cull Google image results to show only people. After typing the name of the person you’re looking for, type “&imgtype=face.” This will tailor the image results to avoid inanimate objects, which really comes in handy if the person’s name happens to also be something else.
5. Become a numerical and financial whiz. Aside from keeping you on top of news, email and cool websites, Google can also be used as a calculator, stock ticker and constantly updated currency converter. For the calculator function, just type in the operation using your keyboard’s number row or numerical pad. Stocks prices can be found by typing “Stock:” followed by the company’s name or ticker symbol. And lastly, currency conversions are as easy as typing in the base currency, a backslash and finally the other currency.