Chapter 6. The Technical Side of Web Research
This last chapter is specifically for search engine optimization (SEO) practitioners and web developers who are looking for an edge when it comes to advanced Google skills. This sort of information changes rapidly due to the perpetual motion of search engine development and the desire for Google engineers to avoid being too helpful to black hat SEOs, so soak it all up and check the next edition of this book for updated tips and tricks.
SEO for Firefox
Before you do anything else, update your Firefox browser to the latest release, then download and install the SEO for Firefox plug-in:
| http://tools.seobook.com/firefox/seo-for-firefox.html |
This plug-in transforms your browser into an outstanding research tool that will help you determine how sites in Google SERPs rank in a variety of relevant search engines and social media sites.
Advanced Query String Parameters
Most of the operators listed above should suffice for most searches. However, if you really need to get extra specific, here’s the hidden stash. All parameters are set using the = operator and assume a base URL of:
| http://www.google.com/search? |
Separate multiple parameters with the ampersand (&) character.
|
Query parameter |
Description | |
|
q |
The search query; can also be typed out in long form as “query” | |
|
as_epq |
Matches an exact phrase, same effect as using quotes around words | |
|
as_oq |
Matches at least one term, same effect as the OR operator |
Get Google Power Search now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
