Search engines are vast and rapid, producing search results in the blink of an eye based on what someone puts into the search bar. Sometimes, though, results can be a hit or miss, depending on the string of words searched for, if there are keywords being hit or if the question is just too general or too specific to yield a helpful number of results. Like with many things, there’s a technique to how to use search engines and maximize their potential, and the foundation is often a good search query.
Something that users might not be aware of, or might not think about, is employing tactics related to search engine optimization (SEO) to make the most out of searches. After all, these are search engines, and they operate in certain ways to produce the most relevant results for people. It is worth knowing top search tricks recommended and used by experts like those from reputable SEO Minneapolis agencies. Combining a working knowledge of SEO tricks and general search tricks will definitely bring forward the best results for any query. Here are some of them.
- Be as detailed as possible when it comes to searches
One of the first tricks, and something quite simple and easy to understand, is to be as detailed as possible when it comes to searches. It’s easy to go on Google and search for something like “endangered,” but it might yield many results, as opposed to searching for “endangered mammals in Asia,” which will bring out more specific results. Knowing a few more details about what’s being searched for, and including that in the actual search, will truly help narrow down the results without being so specific that it will bring out no results at all. If one particular search query doesn’t bring out great results, it’s always an option to run a search again with an altered query.
- Do a keyword search
Something that’s related, and actually a critical part of search engine optimization, is to do keyword research. Keywords are commonly used in SEO to make sure that websites appear as relevant results when specific keywords are used during searches, and because of this, keywords are often included in website content like posts and images. Search engine users can certainly take advantage of this by doing a bit of research on which keywords are often used for specific areas or industries. This also ties in with being specific but not too much. Searching for keywords like “fantasy literature,” for instance, will bring about tons of results, because many authors use this particular string of keywords to market their books. But if one prefers something more specific, adding an extra keyword to change it up can bring better results. Something like “historical fantasy literature” or “grimdark fantasy literature” will bring about better results compared to a more general set of keywords. Keyword research tools are helpful in this regard, and will give both SEO experts and the general Internet searcher an idea of how many results certain keywords bring up.
- Maximize the use of links
Many websites that appear on the top page of searches will likely have backlinks to other sites, and these links are highly likely to contain information that’s relevant to what has been searched for. Including links is actually another critical tactic that SEO experts use, since it sends readers to other reliable and informative pages. These, in turn, can lead to a whole host of other great sites that might be of interest to the searcher. Making sure to check out links is a surefire way to get to information that’s helpful, and maybe even expand the knowledge and areas of interest of the searcher, when links lead into interesting topics related to the search.
- Search for specific quotes
If the search is for something someone has said, or a specific line from a form of media like a book or a movie, then searching for that particular quote is a great idea. It’s a useful search strategy, because the results will almost always bring up results from the quote’s source material or who has made it. This is especially helpful if someone has forgotten a movie, or a song title, or maybe a book, but remembers a specific quote from that book. If the quote is too general or if the searcher is looking for something other than the actual source material, adding relevant keywords to the search that can help add context will definitely bring up better results. For instance, if the quote is “to be or not to be,” it will certainly bring up Hamlet. But if it’s the same quote, said in a different context or medium, like in a movie that references literary work, adding extra keywords or qualifiers can certainly help improve the results and narrow it down significantly.
- Tell the search engine to exclude certain words
Finally, one tip that can help improve results and vastly narrow down the number of irrelevant results is to simply tell the search engine to exclude certain words altogether. This helps a lot if the user knows that a particular search query might pull up a huge range of results even when becoming a little more specific, and instead opts to try and block out those potential results. This can be done by putting a hyphen (-) in front of the search term that the user wants to exclude. For instance, if someone wants to search for books that feature Dracula, but do not want any result that leads to the novel by Bram Stoker, adding a hyphen in front of the words “Bram” and “Stoker” will block out results that have them.
The Bottom Line
Many effective search engine tricks can be tied back to properly executed SEO strategies, and knowing this can drastically improve the quality of searches that anyone, even the average user, encounters. These tricks are simple, easy to understand, and cost nothing but a few seconds of someone’s time. They are also highly reliable and used by specialists like those from experienced SEO Minneapolis companies. These tricks can even become a gateway to learning about SEO, and to understand what search engines do to bring the best results on top. All in all, these tricks are essential for any effective search, and are absolutely worth learning.