How to Use Google Advanced Search for Better Research

What Is Google Advanced Search?

Google Advanced Search allows you to create more precise search queries than a traditional search to help you research topics more efficiently. 

Writers and academics use it for advanced subject exploration. And marketers often rely on it for competitor website analysis. 

For example, suppose you’re researching HR software and only want to look at sources from the United Kingdom. 

Here’s the difference between a standard search for “hr software” and an advanced search focused on the United Kingdom and sites with the .uk top-level domain (TLD).

You can also perform advanced searches in the regular Google search bar by using search operators, which we’ll cover later. 

In either case, advanced searches in Google can help you find pages that are more relevant to your research goals. 

How to Do a Google Advanced Search

To use the advanced Google search engine, navigate to google.com/advanced_search in your web browser.

Complete the “Find pages with…” section to refine your search to specific terms or subtopics. Or filter out words or phrases you don’t want to see results for.

Then, scroll down to the “Then narrow your results by…” section to choose additional filters from the drop-down menus.

You can narrow results by:

• Language
• Region
• Last update
• Site or domain (can also be used to specify a top-level domain)
• Terms appearing
• File type
• Usage rights

Click “Advanced Search” when you’re done.

How to Use Advanced Google Search Operators

Advanced search operators (ASOs) are special characters and symbols you can add to the standard Google search bar to get more precise results.

For example, a search query might include three operators: quotation marks, “OR,” and the minus sign.

These operators tell Google to look for pages containing exact matches of the phrases “hr software” or “hr platform”—but not pages that mention recruiting.

Here are some reasons you may want to use search operators:

To Find Specific Information

The following search operators can help you find specific information:

• Quotation marks (“”) narrow your search to exact matches of a word or phrase
  • Example: “romantic literature”
• The minus sign (-) omits search results that include the word after the minus sign
  •  Example: “romantic literature -russia”
• The asterisk (*) serves as a placeholder for other words, variations, or spellings
  • Example: “romantic literature by *”
• The word and (AND) limits search results to pages that contain all of the terms listed
  • Example: “romanticism AND europe”
• The word or (OR) lets you search for any terms listed
  • Example: “romanticism OR literature”

Suppose you’re an academic researching American folk culture and prefer visual arts. A basic “american folk” search shows mostly music-related pages. 

To exclude music-related pages, add the minus sign operator. Like this: 

To Explore Sources

Other search operators help you search specific sites or source types:

• “source:” identifies search results from specific news sources
  • Example: “source:nytimes.com”
• “site:” is useful for topic searches on specific sites
  • Example: “site:smithsonian.com”
• “filetype:” lets you search for specific file types
  • Example: “filetype:pdf”

Type these operators before or after your research topic in the standard Google search bar. 

For example, you can use “site:” to search folkartmuseum.org for mentions of “portraiture.”

The search engine results pages (SERPs) will only show relevant results from folkartmuseum.org. 

To Analyze Competitor Websites

Marketers can use search operators to research competitor websites:

• “site:” lets you see all of the indexed pages of a competitor’s website
  • Example: “site:bamboohr.com” 
• “site:[domain] topic” helps to find pages covering a certain topic on a competitor’s site
  • Example: “recruiting site:bamboohr.com”
• “inurl:” enables you to locate websites using specific keywords in their URLs
  • Example: “inurl:recruiting”
• “allinurl:” lets you locate websites using a combination of specific terms in their URLs
  • Example: “allinurl:best hr software b2b”

For instance, to see how deeply a competitor covers a topic, try a “site:[competitor site] [topic]” search. Like “site:norton.com phishing”:

Or leverage an SEO tool like Semrush’s Domain Overview for easy competitor website analysis. 

Enter a domain URL, select a location, and click “Search.”

The tool will show:

• Which pages on the domain are indexed
• Which topics the domain covers
• Which organic and paid keywords they’re ranking for
• The estimated amount of paid and organic traffic they’re getting

To Find Backlink Opportunities

Certain search operators help marketers locate sites for link building:

• “Intitle:” lets you find pages with a particular word in the title
  • Example: “intitle:hr tools”
• “Inurl:” allows you to search for “write for us” pages on sites related to your topic
  • Example: “human resources inurl:write-for-us”
• “Allintext:” to find references to your brand on other sites
  • Example: “allintext:renew hr” (use the minus operator to exclude your own site)
• “allintitle:” lets you find pages with all specified words in the title

For example, to find pages mentioning the words “best,” “hr,” and “tools” in the title, try: “allintitle:best hr tools.”

Or use the Link Building Tool to discover relevant sites for link building. Create a project for your domain. 

Then, click the “Go to prospects” button in the “Overview” tab.

You’ll see a list of sites linking to competitors but not to your site. If you find a good prospect, click “To in progress” to add it to your outreach list.

When you’re ready to reach out, go to the “In Progress” tab, locate the website, and click “Contact.” Draft your outreach email asking for a link to your site. 

Tips to Get Better Results with Google Search

If an advanced search in Google doesn’t return what you’re looking for, try these techniques to refine your results: 

• Reorder keywords, try variations, or search related keywords
• Use keyword modifiers to make your query more specific
• Check related searches to see how others are researching the topic
• Look at Google SERP features like People Also Ask (PAA) boxes and AI Overviews for quick answers 
• Cross-reference information by checking multiple search engine results 

Gain More Insights for Research

Once you know how to search Google with advanced options, consider analyzing keywords early in your research to improve efficiency and accuracy. 

Use the Keyword Magic Tool to find variations and modifiers that can help narrow your queries. You can also pair these keywords with advanced search operators. 

After searching your topic, click on the modifiers in the left-hand sidebar to see keyword variations.

Then, add relevant keywords to a list for quick reference throughout your research.