Yes! I’m always amazed at how many people don’t realize that this is possible. As a writer, the ability to filter search engine results is incredibly valuable to me. For example, searching the Internet yields millions of results most of the time. I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to click, click, click, click, my way through page after page of irrelevant results.
If I were researching a topic such as “light bulbs,” I’d get over 13 million hits with many web sites designed for selling light bulbs. However, if I were to filter the results, I could get more relevant web sites. To do this, I use the advanced search and filtering options of various search engines.
Let’s use Google as an example. Right next to the Google Search Bar, you’ll see three lines of linked text. Enter your search terms as normal and then click on Advanced Search. In this case, I have entered “light bulbs.” Depending on what type of information you want, you can specify exact phrases to search for, exclude pages containing certain words, limit the type of file format searched, or search a specific category of domain. You can even restrict the search results on the age of the web page.
I like to restrict my searches to .org or .gov domains. This way, I can be sure that the information I discover will come from non-profits or government agencies. For example, by restricting my light bulb search to domains that end in .org, I’ve filtered the search results from over 13 million down to just 327,000. Still a lot but, these are already far more relevant for my purposes. Let’s say that I’m interested in the safe disposal of light bulbs. I’ve just added the word “disposal” in the Advanced Search filter (and have kept the .org restriction). Now, my results are down to 90,000.
Using those two restrictions, the first page of results is perfect! The various websites listed feature tips on recycling light bulbs, benefits of recycling compact florescent lights, low-energy bulb disposal warnings, and more - all from legitimate non-profit organizations.
In addition to the different search options, Google also has topic-specific searches including Microsoft, Macintosh, Linux, Google Scholar, news archives, universities, and government agencies. Need to learn about configuring DNS Server? No problem, use the Microsoft filter and get detailed, relevant results directly from Microsoft or other technical websites. Searching for studies related to obesity? Use Google Scholar and enter “obesity” in the Search Box. You’ll get hundreds of links to articles on the topic by medical experts.
Am I excited about filtering search engines? You bet! The ability to drill down to relevant information is invaluable to me. Why wade through thousands of websites with mixed results when so much credible information is readily available. No matter what you’re researching, using the advanced filters of the various search engines is sure to provide you with amazing results in an instant!
