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Google search using your terms, verbatim

November 17, 2011 | Online Marketing

Behind the simplicity of Google search is a complex set of algorithms that expands and improves the query you’ve typed to find the best results. With a new feature - which replaces/builds upon the old + search operator - Google allows users to get search results based on what they actually type: verbatim.

In most cases, Google’s algorithms make things better for our users - but in some rare cases, Google doesn't find what you were looking for.

In the past, Google provided users with the “+” operator to help you search for specific terms. However, the company found that users typed the “+” operator in less than half a percent of all searches, and two thirds of the time, it was used incorrectly. A couple of weeks ago Google removed the “+” operator, encouraging the use of the double quotes, which are more likely to be used correctly.

Since then, the company received a lot of requests for a more deliberate way to tell Google to search using your exact terms. Google has been listening, and starting today you’ll be able to do just that through verbatim search. With the verbatim tool on, Google will use the literal words you entered without making normal improvements such as

- making automatic spelling corrections
- personalizing your search by using information such as sites you’ve visited before
- including synonyms of your search terms (matching “car” when you search [automotive])
- finding results that match similar terms to those in your query (finding results related to “floral delivery” when you search [flower shops])
- searching for words with the same stem like “running” when you’ve typed [run]
- making some of your terms optional, like “circa” in [the scarecrow circa 1963]

Get the full story at Google's Inside Search blog

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