How Google decides you want when you enter your search terms

We had a look at how Google decides you want when you enter your search terms
Search engines like Google decide which websites appear first in a list of search results based on:

• our search terms and word order
• what they know about websites – how reliable they are and how many times they’re linked to by other sites
• what they know about us – our location, basic information on our computer, online profiles, browsing history etc

Search operators and limiters are also helpful to use to get a more defined search

Another simple way to refine your search is to use search operators – symbols you include with keywords to tailor the search.

Here are a few common search operators:

• find a specific set of words by using quotation marks (“second wave feminism”)
• search a specific site with a site specific query (essay plan site:ergo.slv.vic.gov.au)
• search a specific web domain by adding the last part of the domain name (measles site:.gov.au)
• find word definitions by adding define (define pedagogy)
• find related or similar resources by adding related: to a URL (related:theage.com.au)
• type simple sums into the search bar and hit Enter for calculations.

The more we understand our topic and search parameters, the better our search terms will be and, in the end, our results. 

I have used limiters in Google but would typically go to a site like slv.vic.gov.au then search for want I wanted but a Google search with what I was looking for then slv.vic.gov.au would search the site for the term much faster than I would. Without all of the serendipitous wanderings or side-tracking that I take :)