TUTORIAL

Google. A few years ago we were hearing about it for the first time, and now it’s so well used that we
use the name as a verb – “Let me google that.“ But as powerful as it is, Google can often leave you –
and your customers – overwhelmed by the amount of information it retrieves or wondering why a
search has failed to retrieve any relevant results. The goal of this tutorial is to show you some of the
techniques that you can use to improve the effectiveness of your Google searches.

NOTE: To complete this tutorial, you will need to open Google (http://www.google.ca) in a browser
window.

HOW GOOGLE WORKS

Understanding how Google works is a key part of effective searching.

How Google Indexes the Web

Google has a tool, Googlebot, which sends out requests for web pages. When a web page is sent back
in response, Googlebot scans the page for hyperlinks and adds those links to a list that it will search at
another time. Googlebot then sends the full text of the page to the indexer.

The indexer stores the page in Google’s index (database). This index is organized alphabetically by
search term – the words, numbers, and/or phrases that make up a search – and for each term, there is a
list of web pages in which that term appears as well as information on exactly where in the page the
search term is located.

How Google Process Your Search

When you enter search terms in the search box, Google looks through its index for pages that include
your search terms. If it finds pages containing those terms, Google then considers the popularity of each
of the pages, the position of the search terms in the pages, and the proximity of the terms within the
pages. Google gives higher priority to pages that contain the search terms in the order specified in your
search and where the search terms are found close to one another.

So, now that you know how Google works, you’re ready to begin searching.

Google Tutorial Page 1 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

Revised May 9, 2008
Building an Effective Google Query
Although Google will return results for most searches, there are a number of things that you can do to
improve the effectiveness of your query.

1. Select appropriate search terms

The search terms you enter can affect your search results. So, before you enter Did you know …
search terms in the Google search box, consider the question you're trying to answer.
Think about the key concepts or ideas contained in the question. Consider the • that a Google query
following query: can have up to 32
search terms?
I need articles about the use of biodiesel in the
buses in the HRM. • that Google is case
insensitive? You can
The key concepts would be biodiesel, buses, and HRM. use lowercase for all
of the search terms
in your query.
Although you might think that “articles” is a key part of the question, this phrase
probably won't appear in many pages. Including the phrase in the search will
probably retrieve fewer results.

Also, notice that about and the haven't been included as search terms. These common words are
considered stop words and are ignored by Google. Other stop words are: I, a, an, are, be, how, from, in,
it, of, for, when, where, with, le, la, de.

Here are some guidelines for selecting search terms:

• Be specific - Avoid terms that are too vague and can have different meanings. for example,
halifax citadel. Does this refer to Citadel Hill, the Citadel Halifax hotel, or the Halifax
Citadel political riding?

• Watch your spelling – a search with the term you’re will return different results than a search
with the term your.

2. Consider Word Order

Because of how Google works, the order in which you enter your search terms can affect your search
results. Try the following:

Carry out the following Google search: pop explosion.

How many results were retrieved? ____________________

Now carry out this Google search: explosion pop.

How many results were retrieved? ____________________

Google Tutorial Page 2 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

Is there a difference in the number of results? Do some of the same pages appear in the results for both
searches?

You should notice a couple of things about the results retrieved by the two searches. First, the two
searches retrieve slightly different sets of results. In other words, different pages appear in the results
lists. Second, some pages appear in both sets of search results, but the order in which they appear is
different.

You can specify word order to Google by using double quotation marks (“ “). Known as phrase
searching, this can be useful when you are searching for a quotation or a proper name (Paul Martin,
Musquodoboit Harbour).

A frequently used example of the impact of phrase searching is the well-known For example, if you
search for to be or not to be, you get the following result

However, if you enclose the search terms in double quotation marks, you get

Carry out the following Google search: “pop explosion”.

How many results were retrieved? ____________________

Exercises 1:

Create an appropriate search (query) for the following questions.

a. I'm looking for vegetarian restaurants in Halifax.

Search: _________________________________________________________

Google Tutorial Page 3 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

b. I need the contact information for the premier of Newfoundland
and Labrador.

Search: __________________________________________________________

c. Can you find me some information on the band The Who?

Search: __________________________________________________________

Narrowing Your Search

Often you'll carry out a search and Google will return an overwhelming number of results. How can
anyone expect to review more than 1 million results? Even 200 results can be a lot of material to sift
through. You can use a variety of techniques to reduce the number of results you get to something
more manageable or to improve the likelihood that the results you get are going to be relevant.

a. AND ( + )

When you enter a search query, Google retrieves for pages that contain all of the search terms. If you
search for bicycle trails, Google will look for pages that contain the term bicycle and the
term trails. This is called an implicit AND because you don't need to include AND between your
search terms; Google automatically searches for pages containing all of them.

The implicit AND can be useful when you're trying to improve the precision of your search. The more
words you include in your search query, the more focussed your search. You will also notice that the
number of results often decreases with addition of each new term. Try the following:

Carry out the following Google search: bicycle trails.

How many results were retrieved? ____________________

Now carry out this Google search: bicycle trails halifax.

How many results were retrieved? ____________________

Is there a difference in the number of results?

You should notice that the number of results drops significantly when halifax is added to the search.
Fewer pages contain bicycle and trails and Halifax.

Google Tutorial Page 4 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

b. NOT ( - )

Your search may retrieve a number of pages that are irrelevant to your topic. For example, a search for
halifax may retrieve pages regarding Halifax, Nova Scotia and Halifax, England. If you're only
interested in Halifax, Nova Scotia, you'll want to eliminate the other irrelevant results. This can be done
using NOT which is indicated by the - (minus sign). Try the following:

Carry out the following Google search: halifax.

How many results were retrieved? ____________________

Now carry out this Google search: halifax -england. Notice that there is NO SPACE
How many results were retrieved? ____________________ between the minus sign and
the term being excluded.
Is there a difference in the number of results?

You should notice that the number of results drops when you tell Google to exclude those pages that
include the term england. While at first glance this may seem wonderful, there is a drawback.

Caveat Searcher (Searcher Beware!)

Excluding a term can eliminate a lot of irrelevant pages from your search results, but it can also
eliminate relevant results.

Halifax, Nova Scotia was named after an Englishman, George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax. By
telling Google not to include pages with the term england, you could eliminate pages discussing how
the city got its name.

Exercises 2:

Create an appropriate search (query) for each of the following questions.

a. I want information on the Halifax Citadel and I don’t want

information on Citadel Halifax hotel.

Search: _________________________________________________________

b. I need information about Tiger Williams the hockey player, not

the golfer.

Search: __________________________________________________________

Google Tutorial Page 5 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

Expanding Your Search

a. OR

Sometimes your search will not return as many results as you wanted. In this case, you can use the OR
operator to increase the number of results. OR is especially useful when searching for synonyms or
alternate forms of words.

If you’re looking for information on car inspections, you could enter car inspections as your
search query. You could expand your search by including synonyms for car and the OR operator. Try
the following:

Carry out the following Google search: car inspections.

How many results were retrieved? ____________________

Now carry out this Google search: car OR vehicle OR automobile inspections.
How many results were retrieved? ____________________

Is there a significant difference in the number of results?

The second search should produce a longer list of results because you’ve told Google that you will be
happy with pages containing

car and inspections,

vehicle and inspections, or
automobile and inspections.

Caveat Searcher

The OR operator must be entered in ALL CAPS to distinguish it from the word or.

b. Word Variations

When you submit a query, Google will find pages that contain your search terms. Google will also find
pages that contain words that are similar to your search terms.
For example, if you search for children public library, Google will also search for words like
children’s, library’s, and libraries. This is called automatic stemming, that is, Google will
search for the words that share the same stem or root.

Google Tutorial Page 6 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

But sometimes you don’t want Google to search for word variations. You just want Google to search for
a term as you typed it. To indicate this, enter a + (plus sign) immediately in front of the term. (Don’t
leave a space between the + and the search term!) Try the following:

Carry out the following Google search: children public library.

How many results were retrieved? ____________________

Now carry out this Google search: children public +library.

How many results were retrieved? ____________________

Is there a significant difference in the number of results?

You may see some reduction in the number of results because Google doesn’t have as many words to
match.

Google Tutorial Page 7 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

c. Synonym Operator ( ~ )

Another way to expand your search is to use the ~ (tilde). If you place it in front of a search term,
Google will search for that term and its synonyms. The synonym operator works best if you use it with
general terms or terms with lots of synonyms. Try the following:

Carry out the following Google search: ~archives.

What synonyms did Google search for? _____________________________________
_____________________________________

Here are some of the terms that Google will search for:

Exercises 3:

Create an appropriate search (query) for each of the following questions.

a. Can you help me find information about the medicinal uses of

purple coneflower? It’s also known as Echinacea.

Search: _________________________________________________________

b. I’m looking for information on how to cook parsnips.

(Hint: what are some other terms for “cooking”?)

Search: __________________________________________________________

Google Tutorial Page 8 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

OTHER GOOGLE SEARCHES

Google’s basic search is quite powerful, but there are other a number of features, advanced operators,
and search services that can help you to find specific types of information.

a. Features

Conversions

If you need to convert a value from one type of unit to another (e.g., pounds to kilograms), you can use
Google instead of your calculator or print conversion tables. You just specify the amount you want to
convert and the units you want to convert it to. For example, if you want to convert 33 inches to
centimetres, you could carry out this search

and get this result:

Maps

If you need a map showing a particular location, try Google’s Maps. You can access the feature by
clicking on the Maps link above the Google search box.

To search for a specific address, enter the address (including the city or town) in the search box.

Google Tutorial Page 9 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

To search for a specific type of business, click the Find Businesses link and then enter the type of
business and the city (or town) in the appropriate search box.

To obtain driving directions or a distance between two points, select the Get Directions option and
then enter the start address and the end address in the appropriate boxes.

Google Images

It is possible to search for images using the basic Google search, but Google Images can make it easier to
locate the pictures you need. Simply click on the link for Google Images (located above the search box)
and enter search terms describing the image(s) you are looking for.

Advanced operators

a. define:

Use this query when you need a definition for a term. If you were looking for a definition for blog, you
could enter this search

Google Tutorial Page 10 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

And get these results:

You can carry out similar searches using what is: and what are: .

b. site:

Use this query when you are looking for information within a specific site or domain. If you were looking
for information on the flu vaccine and you wanted the information to come from one of the federal
government sites, you could enter this search

Common domains include:

.com commercial / business site

.edu educational institution
.gc.ca Canadian government site
.gov American government site (non-military)
.org organization (e.g., charitable, religious)
.ns.ca Nova Scotian site

Google Tutorial Page 11 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

Google Services

Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com)

Google Scholar is a service for searching for academic resources such as peer-reviewed papers, theses,
and articles. Google Scholar can be searched using the same techniques you apply to Google.

Some of the materials retrieved by Google Scholar are available in full text, but the results will often
include links to articles in subscription databases. If you have the required username and password
you can access the articles, otherwise you can try to obtain the material through an interlibrary loan
service.

Exercises 4:

Note: for each question, please specify which of the Google features, advanced operators, or services
you would use to answer the question on the line labelled “What search?”

1. Find a picture of Peter Kelly, mayor of the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Which search? _____________________________________________________

Search: _____________________________________________________

2. Create an appropriate search (query) for each of the following questions.

a. I noticed that the library is a WiFi zone. What does WiFi mean?

Which search? _____________________________________________________

Search: _____________________________________________________

b. I’m planning to travel this summer and I need a Canadian

passport. Someone told me that I can find the information on the
web, but I want to be sure that the information’s good so I only
want government sites.

Which search? _____________________________________________________

Search: _____________________________________________________

c. A high school student is looking for information on the periodic

table. You want to limit your search to web sites hosted/created
by with educational institutions.

Which search? _____________________________________________________

Search: _____________________________________________________

Google Tutorial Page 12 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

3. I have a pound of ground beef and my recipe calls for 200 grams
of beef. Do I have enough ground beef to make the recipe?

Which search? _____________________________________________________

Search: _____________________________________________________

4. What is the distance (by car) from 6471 Bayers Road, Halifax and 3359 Robie Street, Halifax.

Which search? _____________________________________________________

Search: _____________________________________________________

Google Tutorial Page 13 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

 (POSSIBLE) ANSWERS

Exercises 1:

Create an appropriate search (query) for the following questions.

a. I'm looking for vegetarian restaurants in Halifax.

Search: Halifax restaurants vegetarian

b. I need the contact information for the premier of Newfoundland

and Labrador.

Search: Newfoundland Labrador premier “contact information”

c. Can you find me some information on the band The Who?

Search: “the who” band

Exercises 2:

Create an appropriate search (query) for each of the following questions.

a. I want information on the Halifax Citadel and I don’t want

information on Citadel Halifax hotel.

Search: halifax citadel -hotel

b. I need information about Tiger Williams the hockey player, not

the golfer.

Search: “tiger williams” hockey -golf

Google Tutorial Page 14 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

Exercises 3:

Create an appropriate search (query) for each of the following questions.

a. Can you help me find information the medicinal uses of purple

coneflower? It’s also known as Echinacea.

Search: medicinal uses “purple coneflower” OR echineacea

b. I’m looking for information on how to cook parsnips.

(Hint: what are some other terms for “cooking”?)

Search: ~cook parsnips

Exercises 4:

Note: for each question, please specify which of the Google features, advanced operators, or services
you would use to answer the question on the line labelled “What search?”

1. Find a picture of Peter Kelly, mayor of the HRM.

Which search? Google Images

Search: peter kelly mayor hrm

2. Create an appropriate search (query) for each of the following questions.

a. I noticed that the library is a WiFi zone. What does WiFi mean?

Which search? Define: advanced operator

Search: define: wifi

b. I’m planning to travel this summer and I need a Canadian

passport. Someone told me that I can find the information on the
web, but I want to be sure that the information’s good so I only
want government sites.

Which search? Site: advanced operator

Search: passport site:gc.ca

d. A high school student is looking for information on the periodic

table. You want to limit your search to web sites hosted/created
by with educational institutions.

Which search? Site: advanced operator

Search: “periodic table” site:edu

Google Tutorial Page 15 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

3. I have a pound of ground beef and my recipe calls for 200 grams
of beef. Do I have enough ground beef to make the recipe?

Which search? conversions

Search: 1 pound in grams

4. What is the distance (by car) from 6471 Bayers Road, Halifax and 3359 Robie Street, Halifax.

Which search? Google Local – Get directions

Search: Start address: 6471 bayers road, halifax
End address: 3359 robie street, halifax

This work is licensed under an Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike

2.5 license. You may share and adapt it for non-commercial use if the
original is cited. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ca/)

Google Tutorial Page 16 of 16 www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca

 Quick Reference

BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE GOOGLE QUERY

Notation Finds pages … Example

term1 term2 with both term1 and term2 diabetic recipes

“term1 term2”
with the search terms in the “brad pitt”
specified order

Also forces Google to search for “to be or not to be”
words it would normally ignore
-term without term halifax -england
term1 OR term2 either term1 or term2 car OR vehicle
+term
With term (no automatic public +library
stemming)

Also forces Google to search for queen elizabeth +i
words it would normally ignore
~term With term or one of its synonyms ~car inspections

OTHER GOOGLE SEARCHES

Search Action Example

Conversion feature Calculates conversion 33 inches to centimetres
Local
Provides map with specific 636 sackville drive, halifax
location marked

Finds a specific type of business

Provides driving
instructions/calculates distance
b/w 2 points (by car)
define: operator Displays definition for specified define: blog
term
site: operator Limits search to specified web site flu vaccine site:gc.ca
or domain

This work is licensed under an Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike

2.5 license. You may share and adapt it for non-commercial use if the
original is cited. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ca/)

Google Tutorial www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca