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An Introduction to the Google Search Engine

By , About.com Guide

Google Search Tips

All you need to do is just enter a word or phrase and hit “enter”. Google will only come up with results that contain all the words in the search word or phrase;so refining your search just means adding or subtracting words to the search terms you’ve already submitted.

Google's search results can easily be narrowed down by using phrases instead of just one word; for example, when looking for "coffee" search for "Starbucks coffee" instead and you'll get much better results.

Google doesn't care about capitalized words and will even suggest correct spellings of words or phrases. Google also excludes common words such as "where" and "how", and since Google will return results that include all of the words you enter in, there's no need to include the word "and", as in "coffee and starbucks."

Google Advanced Search

For more advanced Google search tips, you'll definitely want to check out my Google Cheat Sheet. Google is just way too big for only one article to cover all it has to offer in the way of search.

Google Toolbar and Google Desktop Search

What else is great about Google? Personally, I'm a big fan of both the Google Toolbar and the Google Desktop Search. The best feature of the toolbar is that it blocks annoying pop-ups, and offers instant access to Google's search technology. The desktop search has its critics but I've had no problems with it. Both downloads are free and take up very little space on your system; give them a try and see what you think.

Keep reading for more information about Google Search.

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