Google Search Operators That Reduce Prospect Research Time
You'd probably agree that using Google for prospect research is simple. You can quickly and easily find a relevant set of results by simply typing your search term into the search bar. Searching Google is simple, but if you're looking for something more specific, like the podcast your prospect has been on, you'll know that standard keyword searches fall short.
You can't rely on simple queries if you want to use Google to its full potential. Utilize the strength of sophisticated search operators. Whether you're an expert searcher or only have the most fundamental Google skills... In order to take advantage of these "cheat codes" and master Google searches, this special Google search operators guide will walk you through each and every Google search operator available. You'll not only get more targeted search results, but you'll also be able to narrow down your search terms to focus on a specific niche or goal.
I go over the entire list of Google search operators in this guide, along with some amusing Google tricks you can use to amuse your coworkers.
What are Search Operators on Google and How Can You Use It To Improve Prospect, Keyword, Competitor, and Niche Research?
To return more specialized and detailed search results, you can add search operators---special characters and parameters---to your search query. Search operators perform a wide range of tasks, such as allowing you to exclude certain terms from your results or narrow results to an exact phrase.
You can find detailed information buried in a typical query by using a variety of search operators. Say, for example, that you run a food tech company that helps people succeed with the paleo diet and you're looking for a food blog to partner with and share guides. You want your guide to be cited in paleo-related sources after all that effort. A search for "paleo diet resources" yields a wide range of outcomes, including how-to manuals and resource pages.
It would take too long for you to look through all 3.57 million results. Search operators become useful in this situation. With the appropriate search terms, you can reduce those 3.5 million results to just 3,470.
To put it another way: By combining the appropriate search operators, you can narrow down those voluminous results into smaller and well-targeted findings. But first, let's take a closer look at each command to see how you can use it in your regular Google search tasks.
List of Standard Google Search Operators and Commands You Can Use For Research Within Your Niche
These fundamental search operators are practical commands that can help your standard text searches produce more filtered and useful search results. A whole new world of search options will become available when you apply these characteristics to your search terms.
"Search Phrase"
By requiring an exact-match search, the use of quotes ("") improves search results. Synonyms are not included when a single word is enclosed in quotation marks.
Example:
["Hubspot"]{.ul}
OR
A request for Google to return results that fall between two different search terms. Search results for the two keywords can be found using this. The OR symbol can also be replaced with a pipe (|).
Example:
[Hubspot OR
Salesforce]{.ul}
AND
Results relating to the search terms entered into the search bar will be returned by the AND operator. The AND operator doesn't really make much of a difference because Google's algorithm can distinguish between phrase search and multiple search terms with accuracy.
-exclude
When a search term is preceded by a hyphen (or minus), all pages with that keyword in their content are disregarded. Additional hyphens are necessary to prevent multiple search terms from turning up in your search results.
Example:
[CRM -hubspot
-salesforce]{.ul}
Site:
The search operator "Site:" enables you to limit your search results to a particular domain. The "site:" command works best when combined with other operators, such as "intitle:" to find particular pages that contain your search term or the minus (-) operator to omit a particular domain.
Example:
[site:hubspot.com]{.ul}
*Asterisk
Google considers the asterisk as a "fill in the blank" or placeholder command, so it is regarded as a wildcard character in search. Google will look for the closest match for the search query or phrase when the asterisk is used.
Example:
[Linkedin* Ash
Bhoopathy]{.ul}
( ) Brackets
By combining several search terms or operators into one, brackets can help you manage the search results. You can be more deliberate and narrow down your search results by putting keywords in parentheses.
Example:
[(Linkedin AND Reddit)
Sales]{.ul}
#..#
Your search results will be limited to the range of numbers included when you use (..) with two numbers on either side. Although the outcomes can vary, the (..) operator assists in finding specific data within a date range or even prices.
Example: [linkedin sales prospecting
2010..2014]{.ul}
/
[CRM
$25..$50]{.ul}
@
Use the "@" symbol in front of your keyword to limit your search to only show results posted from social media handles. To find a brand's social media handles or companies using a particular social media platform, use the "@" symbol.
Example:
[Linkedin
@Poseidon]{.ul}
The Complete List of Advanced Google Search Operators and Commands
Now that you are aware of the fundamental components of search operators. Now let's explore the more sophisticated search operators that will aid in producing accurate search results.
Intitle:""
The word or phrase used in the page title will be found in the results of pages returned by the "intitle:" command. Use quotation marks (" ") around your search term to find only pages with exact match phrases.
Example: intitle:
["Linkedin Vp
sales"]{.ul}
allintitle:
Similar to "intitle," The "allintitle:" operator, however, enables you to return outcomes for page titles that fully match your search term. This search operator is useful for finding relevant content that might be useful for personalization for your outreach. It also helps you find relevant content quickly.
Example: allintitle:
[josh braun
podcast]{.ul}
inURL
Use "inurl:" to locate web pages that have a specific word (or words) in their URLs.
Example: inurl:
[Aaron
Barreiro]{.ul}
allinurl:
Specific search operators like "allinurl:" produce results that include every keyword you entered in the URL of the page. An excessively long search phrase may drastically reduce search volume or yield no results at all.
Example: allinurl:
[cold call
script]{.ul}
intext:
The "intext:" Google search operator enables you to locate specific words or phrases within the body of a page. Since "Intext:" works almost exactly like any other Google search, it is rarely used. To find specific page content, this command works best when combined with another search operator like "site:".
Example: intext:
[sales]{.ul}
Allintext:
You can use the search function "Allintext:" to look for all of the keywords you entered in the document or page body text. Combining quotation marks (" ") with the search term will further hone the search and show results that are an exact match.
Example: allintext
[:"cold
outreach″]{.ul}
filetype:
Specifying a file type in your search terms, such as PDF, DOCX, or PPT, will limit the types of results that are returned. You cannot use the "filetype:" operator by itself. Instead, it needs to be used in conjunction with another term to show results. You can also specify image types with "Filetype:" (PNG, JPG, GIF, etc.).
The search term can be changed to read "ext:" instead of "filetype:" and produce the same outcomes.
Example:
[social selling
filetype:pdf]{.ul}
related:
"related:" will be useful when conducting market or competitor research. You can find domains that are similar to the target URL you entered in the search bar by using the "related:" operator. Larger domains are best for using this search command. For example, lets search for Hubspot competitors.
Example:
[related:hubspot.com]{.ul}
AROUND(X)
You can find web pages that contain any given search term within X words of each other using the proximity search operator "AROUND(X)". such a search term "Podcast AROUND(3) Will Allred" will produce results that include both "Will Allred" and "Podcast and are separated by no more than three words.
Example:
[Podcast AROUND(3) Will
Allred]{.ul}
cache:
Use the "cache:" command to find out when a website or domain was most recently crawled by Google's bots. A specific domain or URL's most recent cache will be returned by the "cache:" operator. Only websites that Google has indexed will be able to use this. The cached version of a domain will have a different appearance and a banner that indicates the date of the cached version.
Example: cache:useposeidon.com
Source:
You can view news articles from a particular source in Google News by using the "source:" operator. All of the keyword-related web pages from the source listed in the search will be displayed if you use the "source:" command.
Example:
[Tom Freese
source:Linkedin]{.ul}
blogurl:
Use the "blogurl:" operator to find the blog for a specific domain. The Google Blogs search, which was discontinued in 2011, was the original application for the "blogurl:" command. Although this command has been deprecated, it occasionally, albeit inconsistently, still returns relevant results.
Example:
[blogurl:useposeidon.com]{.ul}
loc:placename
Use the "loc:" command to focus your search on a particular area. Targeting a specific brand or company in a single geographic area is how location-specific searching is most effective. Although partially deprecated, the outcomes are frequently questionable.
Example:
[lead gen agency loc:New
York]{.ul}
location:
The "location:" operator, while similar to "loc:," returns news results from Google News for the specified geographic area. Additionally, even though "location:" is not officially deprecated, search results may not always be accurate.
Example:
[investment management firm location:new
york]{.ul}
3 Vital Tips For Prospect Research
While using the above search operators to get vital information about your prospects these 3 essential tips would also be helpful when carrying out your research.
TIP #1 - Social Media
If you already have a following on social media, you can learn more about your ideal clients there. You can get demographic information about the users who interact and engage with your pages from Facebook Insights. Age group, interests, gender, and location are all included in this data.
You can get similar analysis from Linkedin, Twitter, and Instagram. Social media analytics should give you more information than just demographics. These websites will also provide statistics on the content that has the highest engagement levels so you can see what interests users the most. Gather these facts, then combine them to form a picture of your ideal customer before reaching out to them.
TIP #2 - Comparative Analysis
The study of competitor data can help you better comprehend the characteristics of your ideal client. A good place to start is on the social media profiles of your rivals. You'll be able to tell what content they're posting, which social media platforms get the most interaction and the tone of their messages. Checking out their website to see what kind of content is being discussed is also helpful.
Examine the blog topics on a competitor's website before leaving to determine what their main problems are. This information will show you who your competitors think their ideal client is.
See how closely your client matches that of the competition. It can be difficult to directly compete with a reputable rival for the same clientele. But perhaps they're missing out on a segment of the market that you could target.
TIP #3 - Organizations and Target Market Data
You might be able to find data from organizations or industry stakeholders that will help you identify your likely customers if your product or service is targeted at a particular industry or niche.
Data on the typical age and gender of many groups, including runners, vegans, video gamers, actuaries, registered nurses, etc., can be found by searching Google. Several organizations compile member profiles. Or they make industry profiles public.
Conclusion: Advanced Search, Lead Generation Tools, and Search Operators To Find Ideal Target
To find sales leads and expand your network, cold outreach is essential. When done properly, it can also aid in brand development, influencer outreach, and sales conversion. Cold outreach is challenging because, well, it's cold.
The recipient of your message may not be familiar with you or understand how your message relates to them. They have a good chance of having never heard of your company, which gives them a free pass to disregard your message. This is why finding snippets of content you can use to personalize your message so it shows you're not a random spammer but someone that properly researched the prospect is crucial.
This is where Poseidon comes in. It helps reduce the load or time spent researching prospects. Traditional email-only outreach strategies are based on ineffective "spray and pray" techniques. You require methods for conducting your sales in a methodical, research-based manner when you're implementing more complex ABM (Account Based Marketing) and ABSD (Account Based Sales Development) strategies.
The best way to achieve this is to equip your sales team with quick and simple tools so that they can prospect effectively. Poseidon effectively synchronizes Sales and Marketing to work together to speed up deal velocity.
