How often have you heard the term ‘Google it’?
This statement tells us how vital and common the Google search engine has become. However there are times when you can’t find what you’re looking for and in these situations, it might be better to search multiple keywords at the same time. This type of search is known as a ‘Boolean Search’ and it enables you to give multiple instructions to help find your results.
Today’s post focuses on three search tips using ‘AND’ and ‘OR’ search operators. We will also share the types of results you can expect.
1. AND Search Operator
Results only containing all the terms connected by the AND operator will be shown, so the more criteria you type the less results are found. People use AND operator to limit some more definite resources.
Examples:
- virtual AND assistant
- virtual AND assistant AND “Hong Kong”
(Normally AND is set as a default operator, so searching virtual assistant Hong Kong will provide the same results as searching virtual AND assistant AND “Hong Kong”.)
2. OR Search Operator
Results containing either or both of the terms connected by the OR operator will be shown, so the more conditions you enter the more record is found. People usually use OR operator for terms of similar ideas to include larger number of resources.
Examples:
- virtual OR administrative assistant
- virtual OR administrative assistant OR secretary
(The results will contain at least one of the words, so you may find links that have the words virtual assistant, administrative assistant, secretary or a combination of these.)
3. AND and OR Search Operatores
The searching system will fulfil the requirements joined by AND operator first, then those joined by OR.
Example:
virtual AND assistant OR secretary
(The results will be related to virtual assistant or secretary. This is the same as typing virtual assistant OR secretary.)
These search features can be applied to other search engines such as Yahoo.com, Bing.com, DuckDuckGo.com and ChaCha.com. It does take a little time to learn however once you know to search online, it will save so much time. Good luck!
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