Google the right way

 

Google’s misuse

Google has changed the world as we know it. You can find almost anything, we have access to more information than any generation in human history.

However, it can be confusing to sift through the huge pile of data we call the internet. Well, the visible internet – but let’s not get into that.

What this blog will show you

Are there better ways to filter down to specific documents you might need? Well yes, you might have been using google wrong this whole time. Kind of reminds me of the I realised my Samsung could be charged wirelessly, I was plugging it in like a gormless loony for months. With what I am about to show you, you can use google to find specific documents and filetypes. 

Say goodbye to creating powerpoints just “borrow” some slides from pre-made powerpoints. 

Are you looking for Linux commands, guides, cheat sheets, books, or almost anything really? Find tons of pdfs to help you for free! 

Fed up with creating excel spreadsheets? Why not look for a template to help you?

Or maybe you want to find a script that does something specific without filtering through the crap. Using these search parameters will definitely help with that.

Disclaimer

I am not going to cover every single document you can find with google because there are too many, but here is a link to fill the gaps I have missed.

Finding PDFs

Okay, let’s say you are looking for linux commands. You can google Linux commands, and this is what you will get.

Some of these resources are very good. However, if you add “filetype:pdf” at the end. Google will pull all pdfs that are related to “linux commands”. You can see how different this is in the search below.

Do you notice how every search result is a PDF. These results are a lot more useful in this particular case.

Just look at some of the PDFs I found for linux commands below.

I hope you can see how useful this can be.

Finding powerpoints

Now lets assume you need to create a powerpoint on diversity and inclusion. If you just google diversity and inclusion you will get the following results:

You can already see how useless this is if you want to create a informative presentation.

The solution – Try adding filetype:ppt to the end!

Look at the picture below, and again notice the ppt at the end of each result showing powerpoint presentation only!

Lots of juicy slides to “borrow” or use for inspiration.

What else can you do?

There are so many more uses for this we have only just scratched the surface. To see more filetypes you can search for check out the following link.

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35287?hl=en

Also check my Youtube video out to see more examples of how useful this can be.