Google General Search Rules

There are four general rules that apply to all Google web searches. However, with some tricks, some of the rules can be overwritten.

Google will not suggest vulgar words or phrases

Google's keyword suggestion and auto-complete feature does not allow vulgar words. Example of vulgar words: "sh*t", "f*ck", and "b*tch".

Google ignores case sensitivity

Google queries are not case-sensitive, with the exception of the OR and AND operators. This means that searching for date, DATE, Date, or any combination of uppercase and lowercase characters will produce identical results.

Google may exclude common words

Google may ignore very common words in a search. Example of common words: 'the', 'or', 'a', 'is', 'how', 'what'. There are some rules regarding the exclusion of common words from a query.

(1) Very common words are excluded when there are other search terms within the same query. Try this example: what. All hits shows at least one occurance of the word 'what'. Now search for what date. Notice that Google drops 'what' from some of the results.

(2) Google will attempt to include all common words if there are only common words within a search. Example: is or what the. Not all hits will contain all the search terms.

(3) All words within a search phrase will be included, provided that the search phrase has at least two search terms. This is the only way to ensure that Google will include common words. Example: "is or what the" will force Google to return hits that contains the exact phrase.

(4) Google may ignore common words even if the + operator is used. The same applies for single word search phrases. Try these and observe the results: +is +or +what +the and "is" "or" "what" "the".

Google expands search terms when necessary

Search for dates. Notice Google expands the search term to include 'date', 'dating', or more. This feature is a double-edged sword. It may help to make your search more exhaustive, but it can also produce unpredictable results. Use the NOT operator to exclude unwanted search terms.

Google Inclusion and Phrase Operators

Submit tiger or rabbit to Google search. Notice that Google removes the word 'or' from the search terms. In fact, Google ignores very common words. What if, under certain circumstances, you would like to include the word 'or' as a search term?

There are two tricks to force Google to include a search term:

The + operator

The + operator is the opposite of the NOT operator. It forces Google to include a search term within a query. Just add a '+' immediately before the term you would like to include.

For example, try this: tiger or rabbit versus tiger +or rabbit. Note that the number of hits is significantly different between the two queries. Use this operator wisely, to your own advantage, to expand or narrow down your search results.

The double quotes

Encasing a search term with double quotes (") is functionally the same as adding the + operator in front of the term. Submitting tiger +or rabbit and tiger "or" rabbit will result in identical number of hits and results.

Encasing multiple search terms within double quotes results in an exact phrase search. An exact phrase includes all search terms and takes into account the order of the search terms. Try these and note the difference in results: "tiger or rabbit" and "rabbit tiger or".

You should use the + operator instead of double quotes if strict order of words is not desired. Try these: +tiger +or +rabbit and +rabbit +tiger +or. Both show identical results.

An additional note: Google recognizes an empty space within the double quotes as the single character wildcard. Try these search phrases: "tiger or rabbit" and "tiger.or.rabbit". Google displays identical results for both these search phrases.

Google Boolean Operators

There are three types of Boolean operators recognized by Google. They are the OR, AND and NOT operators.

The OR operator

The OR operator is used to include either one search term or the other in a query. The syntax is 'OR' or '' (pipe symbol). Try this as example: 'fame fortune' and 'fame OR fortune'.

The AND operator

The AND operator is used to include more than one search term in a single query. The syntax is 'AND' or ' ' (space). By default, Google includes all search terms submitted. Therefore, submitting 'hotel AND cheap AND good' is almost the same as submitting 'hotel cheap good'. Try it. Notice there's a slight difference in the search results. The search terms are grouped more closely without the AND operator and vice-versa.

The NOT operator

The extermely useful NOT operator is used to exclude search terms in the results. The syntax is '-' (minus sign) followed immediately by the search term to exclude. Here's an example: 'windows' and 'windows -microsoft'.

Google queries are not case-sensitive, with the exception of the OR and AND operators. Google recognizes 'OR' as the OR operator, and 'or', 'oR' and 'Or' as a search term, i.e. the word 'or'. Google will display very different results for 'tiger OR rabbit' and 'tiger or rabbit'. Try it.

Notice something missing in the 'tiger or rabbit' search results? Most likely, the 'or' search term is missing. Google ignores very common words. What if, under certain circumstances, you would like to include 'or' as a search term?

Use the + operator or double quotes - read more here: Inclusion and Phrase.