# Advanced Web Search - Operators, Parameters, Order of Operations - Google and Beyond

This is part of a demonstration on [How I use Google to Learn New or Difficult Subjects, Share my Findings and Gain Digital Clout](https://hackmd.io/p6mEJJztQdWE1cmLSHHOrA)

## Google Search

This first section includes links and information straight from Google, itself.

* [Refine web searches](https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2466433?hl=en)
> You can use symbols or words in your search to make your search results more precise.
> - Google Search usually ignores punctuation that isn’t part of a search operator.
> - Don’t put spaces between the symbol or word and your search term. A search for site:nytimes.com will work, but site: nytimes.com won’t.
* [Advanced Search Operators](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AFg7QU9dYIryi-t4L7bwfi7ljbpIc7_Q-kMWr-atRvE/edit) -August 23, 2019 -Daniel M. Russell (senior research scientist at Google)
> Here, in one place, are all of the currently documented advanced search operators.
* [Search Protocol Reference](https://support.google.com/gsa/answer/6329265) - Request Format

The Search Protocol Reference is a guide meant for developers, but much can be applied to any regular old search.

### Search Tools from Google

* [Google Advanced Search](https://www.google.com/advanced_search)
* [Google Images](https://images.google.com/)
* [Google Advanced Image Search](https://www.google.com/advanced_image_search)
* [Google Advanced Video Search](https://www.google.com/advanced_video_search)
* [Google News](https://news.google.com/) - used to have a separate page for advanced search, now has a dropdown from the search box.
* [Google Books](https://books.google.com/)
* [Google Books nGram Viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams) - Search Google Books for terms used within a data range, shows a chart graphing the popularity of those terms by year.
* [Google Scholar](scholar.google.com) (Search Academic Literature) - has an advanced search feature available from the hamburger menu.

### Using Google's Advanced Features for Searching the Web

Third-party guides to using advanced features of google search.

* [Unofficial Google Advanced Search](http://jwebnet.net/advancedgooglesearch.html)
> This page is provided as a reference and a guide to using the advanced search operators that Google provides. Most of the operators have a Google Search box pre-filled so you can see example results.
* [The Ultimate Guide to Google Search Operators and Google Search Commands](https://www.semrush.com/blog/google-search-operators/) (semrush)
> In this guide, we will go over the basics of search operators and search commands, helping you understand how to wield these powerful tools effectively and move on to advanced commands and operators — this guide will help you use Google to its full potential.
* [Google Search URL Parameters [Ultimate Guide]](https://www.seoquake.com/blog/google-search-param/) (seoquake)
> The basic Google search is https://www.google.com/search?q=. It uses only one operator “q= phrase of interest”(or as_q). The use of advanced search operators works like a password. Google clearly understands what you want from it and gives you the results for which the usual search would take much more time and filtering.
* [23 Google Search Tips You'll Want to Learn](https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/23-google-search-tips-youll-want-to-learn) - includes examples of different ways you may have never thought to use Google Search.
* [A Guide to Google Tools: Tips and Tricks You Can't Live Without](https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/guide-google-tools-tips-tricks-cant-live-without/)
> The following is a comprehensive guide of tips, tricks, and hacks that'll help you make better use of Google services you use. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned expert, you're likely to find something here that you can add to your own productivity toolbox.
* [Google Scholar: the ultimate guide](https://paperpile.com/g/google-scholar-guide/)
> Google Scholar (GS) is a free academic search engine that can be thought of as the academic version of Google. Rather than searching all of the indexed information on the web, it searches repositories of publishers, universities or scholarly websites.
* [Google Scholar: tips & tricks](https://www.otago.ac.nz/library/pdf/Google_Scholar_Tips.pdf)

#### Order of Operations

When using search operators google has a specific order it uses giving preference to different operations.

* [Search Protocol Reference](https://support.google.com/gsa/answer/6329265#436b47a9-affc-48a8-869c-fff1dbd1abe0)
> Boolean operators are left associative with equal precedence. You can use parentheses to change the order of precedence. For example, A . (B | C | D) evaluates the OR (|) operators in the parentheses before the AND (.) operator. It is advisable to use brackets, braces, or parenthesis to clarify the precedence in complex queries.

### SEO

* [Google Search Operators: The Complete List (42 Advanced Operators)](https://ahrefs.com/blog/google-advanced-search-operators/)
> In this post, I’ll share 15 actionable tips to help you master search operators for SEO

### Google Dorking

Google dorking (or simply Dorking) is the practice of using google search operators to find sensitive information on the web. Malicious hackers, or anyone with an intrest, can use this practice to find your personal information on the web, or find common website vulnerabilities to exploit.

Some of these guides go far beyond google, providing examples using other popular search engines such as Bing and DuckDUckGo. Whether you're just an individual looking to discover your digital footprint, or the administrator of a server exposed to the web, these practices can be useful in keeping yourself or your digital resources safe.

* [dorking (how to find anything on the Internet)](https://www.alec.fyi/dorking-how-to-find-anything-on-the-internet.html)
> Software engineers have long joked about how much of their job is simply Googling things\
> Now you can do the same, but for free\
> Below, I'll cover dorking, the use of search engines to find very specific data
* [Search Smarter by Dorking](https://kit.exposingtheinvisible.org/en/how/google-dorking.html)
> A look at advanced internet searches with “Google dorking,” how they work across different search engines, and how you can use the technique in your investigations. Mind the tips on protecting your privacy while searching, and safeguarding your personal information from those who might use this technique for malicious purposes.
* [Google hacking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_hacking)
> Google hacking, also named Google Safil, is a hacker technique that uses Google Search and other Google applications to find security holes in the configuration and computer code that websites are using.
* [Go Dork Yourself! Because hackers are already dorking you](https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/enterprise/google-dorking/)
> The most concerning thing about Google Dorking is the sheer volume of online information that can help the uninitiated and skilled alike. Some of the resources are educational, some are nefarious. Either way, these resources put an astonishing amount of capability in the hands of anyone that is interested.

## Duck Duck Go

* [DuckDuckGo Search Syntax](https://help.duckduckgo.com/results/syntax/)
* [The ultimate guide to DuckDuckGo](https://brettterpstra.com/2019/03/07/the-ultimate-guide-to-duckduckgo/)
> If you don’t already have the scoop, it’s the search engine that can serve as a complete replacement for Google (and Bing and whatever else you like), except it respects your privacy and security. And while Google does some cool tricks, DuckDuckGo does some even better ones.

## Bing

* [Advanced search options](https://help.bing.microsoft.com/#apex/18/en/10002/-1) - boolean operators
* [Advanced Search Keywords](https://help.bing.microsoft.com/#apex/18/en/10001/-1) - keyword operators to refine your results further
> Want to spend less time sorting through irrelevant results? Advanced keywords can give you better search results so that you find only what you want. Use the following keywords to help limit and focus your searches:
* [Bing Search Operators Cheat Sheet: The Ultimate Guide](https://www.sidegains.com/search-engines/bing-search-operators-cheat-sheet/)

## Yahoo

* [Yahoo Advanced Search](https://search.yahoo.com//web/advanced)
* [50+ Google and Yahoo Search Shortcuts Cheat Sheet](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-and-yahoo-search-shortcuts-cheat-sheet/9972/#close)

## Beyond Traditional Search Engines

* [The Ultimate Guide to the Invisible Web](https://oedb.org/ilibrarian/invisible-web/)
> The vast majority of the Internet lies in the Deep Web, sometimes referred to as the Invisible Web. The actual size of the Deep Web is impossible to measure, but many experts estimate it is about 500 times the size of the web as we know it.
* [Research Beyond Google: 56 Authoritative, Invisible, and Comprehensive Resources](https://oedb.org/ilibrarian/research-beyond-google/)
> Topics Covered in this Article
>
> Deep Web Search Engines | Art | Books Online | Business | Consumer | Economic and Job Data | Finance and Investing | General Research | Government Data | International | Law and Politics | Library of Congress | Medical and Health | STEM | Transportation
* [The 12 Best Search Engines to Explore the Invisible Web](https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-search-engines-explore-deep-invisible-web/)
* [Awesome Search](https://awesomelists.top/) - Search Awesome (curated) Lists, like this one
* [Class Central](https://www.classcentral.com/)
> Discover free online courses from top universities, providers, and institutions
* [0xflotus/Metabigor](https://github.com/0xflotus/Metabigor) - Command line Search Engines Framework but without API key
> Metabigor allows you to do query from command line to awesome Search Engines (like Shodan, Censys, Fofa, ZoomEye, etc) without any API key.
* [Awesome Custom Search Engines Awesome](https://github.com/becksteadn/Awesome-Custom-Search-Engines)

### Internet Archive

* [Internet Archive - Search - A Basic Guide](https://help.archive.org/hc/en-us/articles/360018359991-Search-A-Basic-Guide)
* [Internet Archive Advanced Search Tips](https://blog.archive.org/2017/04/16/a-few-advanced-search-tips/)
* [Help:Using the Wayback Machine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Using_the_Wayback_Machine)
> The Wayback Machine is a service which can be used to cite archived copies of web pages used by articles. This is useful if a web page has changed, moved, or disappeared; links to the original content can be retained.