Alright listen, master search engines is something I genuinely thought I was decent at until like last year when I realized I was just yelling keywords into the void and hoping for the best. I’m sitting here in my apartment outside Delhi vibes but honestly it could be anywhere in the US the way my life feels right now—fan rattling, street dog barking somewhere, phone on 8% battery, me pretending I’m not procrastinating. I used to be terrible. Like embarrassingly bad. I once spent 45 minutes searching for “how to unclog drain” and clicked three plumbing company ads before I found an actual tutorial. Pathetic.
So yeah these are my 10 expert(ish) tips to master search engines like a pro—or at least like someone who stopped being completely helpless. They’re not perfect. Some days I still forget half of them. Whatever.
The Pathetic Phase Before I Tried to Master Search Engines
Back in 2024 I was job-hunting hard. Typed “good remote jobs no degree” and got flooded with bootcamps charging 12k. Felt personally attacked. The screen was too bright, my neck hurt, instant noodles smell everywhere. That was rock bottom. Started reading random Reddit threads at 3 a.m. and slowly pieced together actual techniques. Still mess up constantly tho.
1. Quotation marks are your angry friend
Put “exact phrase” in quotes when you’re done playing. Changed my life.
Example: I needed guitar tabs for a song I was butchering. Without quotes → 800 versions, half wrong key. With “wish you were here pink floyd tab” → second result was perfect.
I still forget sometimes and get mad at Google like it betrayed me.
2. Minus sign (-) = delete garbage forever
Add -ads -sponsored -“click here” or whatever you hate.
I searched “best noise cancelling headphones under 100” -amazon because Amazon was just affiliate spam. Actually useful results for once.
Pro move when you’re researching something embarrassing too (no comment).
3. site:whatever.com locks you in
site:reddit.com “master search engines” OR site:news.ycombinator.com
I live on Reddit now. Found better car advice on r/MechanicAdvice than any “expert” blog.
Also site:*.edu filetype:pdf for free textbooks. College dropout hack.
4. OR is for when your brain can’t pick
“pasta OR noodles” “easy recipe” -takeout
Saves me when I’m starving and can’t decide.
Feels chaotic but it works.
5. * wildcard when your memory sucks (mine always does)
“how to * lithium battery safely”
Google fills the blank. Jump, charge, dispose, whatever.
I blanked on a yoga pose name once. “downward * pose” → downward facing dog instantly. lifesaver.
6. filetype:pdf is secretly the best cheat
filetype:pdf “advanced search operators” site:edu
Gets actual guides instead of listicles with 47 ads.
Found a 90-page Google hacking PDF that felt illegal it was so good.
7. related: when you like one site but want cousins
related:waitbutwhy.com → other long-form smart blogs.
Great for branching out without starting from zero.
8. cache: when the internet eats the page
The page 404’d right after I needed it. cache:oldurl.com brought it back like nothing happened.
Feels like cheating time.
9. Quick ones I use daily and still forget
weather
time in New York
define: sesquipedalian (yes I had to look that up to spell it)
stocks TSLA
Lazy but powerful.
10. Just keep smashing keys until it works
Real talk: the actual way I master search engines is iterating fast. Start broad. Add operators. Remove stuff. Add site:. Try again.
Last night I spent 18 minutes refining “best m43 camera 2026 -youtube -sponsored” until I got forum threads with real user photos. Felt like a detective. Then I knocked over my water bottle. Normal.
Look I’m not gonna pretend these tips turned me into some search ninja overnight. Half the time I still type like a caveman and curse the results. But they help. A lot.
If you’re reading this at 2 a.m. because Google is trolling you—start with quotes and minus. You’ll hate yourself less.
What dumb search mistake are you most ashamed of? Tell me so I feel less alone. Or drop your favorite hidden trick. I’m probably still missing something obvious lol.
