Power Searching with Google is a free online course offered by Google that teaches advanced search techniques and strategies for using Google search more effectively. The course covers the following topics:

  1. Advanced search techniques – This includes how to use search operators and filters to refine search results, how to search for specific types of content (such as images, videos, or news articles), and how to use search shortcuts to save time.
  2. Evaluating sources – This covers how to evaluate the credibility and reliability of sources found through Google search, including how to assess authorship, accuracy, and bias.
  3. Understanding search algorithms – This includes an introduction to how Google’s search algorithms work and how to optimize search queries to get the best results.
  4. Search tools and features – This covers how to use Google’s search tools and features, including Google Scholar, Google Books, and Google Trends.
  5. Search tips and strategies – This includes tips and strategies for using Google search more effectively, including how to use search alerts, how to search across multiple languages, and how to use Google search for research.

The course includes interactive exercises and quizzes to help learners practice and apply what they’ve learned. By completing this course, learners will gain advanced search skills and strategies for using Google search more effectively. This course is suitable for anyone who uses Google search and wants to improve their search skills, whether for personal or professional use.

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The course is structured as a series of 6 modules, each of which comprises of 5-6 short video lessons. Every video lecture is followed by an Activity that is intended to allow participants to answer a couple of questions to test their understanding and also allow them to exercise and practice whatever was discussed in the lesson. Although these activities are completely optional, they help to cement the knowledge gained in the video lessons.

The instructor of the course is Daniel M. Russell, a senior research scientist at Google. Here’s Dan’s introduction video to the course to give you a sense of what the course entails, how it is organized and overall subject matter.

This Power Searching course introduces participants to the idea of search, how Google works, and gives them the methods, strategies and tactics to find what they need to find. In addition to learning key methods to improve search skills, participants understand what it means to search on Google and other Google products and what kinds of things one can find. The course covers the following topics:

  • Using color filtering within image search
  • Choosing effective keywords for your search
  • How word order and punctuation matters in the search
  • Finding text on a web page
  • Utilizing information in Knowledge Graph panels, Instant results, Suggestions, and Related Searches when they appear
  • Recognizing when search results are offering information that suggests a better/additional search
  • Using ‘define’ to identify the meaning of words
  • How to use dictionary mode to define words that do not appear in traditional dictionaries
  • Understanding options for different media
  • Refining results by using different media types like videos and news
  • How to identify an image with search by image
  • Interpreting a search engine results page (SERP)
  • How to use the site: operator to restrict results to a domain, website, or directory
  • Finding different kinds of content efficiently across a variety of sources
  • Describe how various search operators filter results
  • How to use the site: operator within images and news results
  • Using a word you expect to appear on the target page to refine results
  • How to use the filetype: operator to find and download different kinds of documents
  • Combining operators to refine searches
  • Removing invasive results from the search
  • Using quotes to search for a phrase
  • Using OR to include more than one way of expressing an idea
  • How to use the intext: operator to ensure the word you want is actually on the page you find
  • Using the Advanced Search user interface when appropriate
  • Finding facts quickly with Shortcuts or Google search features that include weather, time, flight numbers, earthquakes, world capitals, sunrise/sunset times, movies, stock quotes, sports scores, package tracking numbers, medical conditions, and medications
  • Calculating math expressions and conversions from the search box
  • Time and Date Filers to limit results to sources published during a specific time period
  • Translating words, sentences, and pages
  • Searching in foreign languages using English
  • Verifying the credibility of information you find on the web
  • How to avoid confirmation bias when conducting searches
  • Using books to verify a quote
  • How to find out information about a web site, a company, or almost anything
  • Distinguishing between the Google products that indicate credibility and those that do not
  • Combining operators for stronger searches
  • Combining methods and approaches to find information efficiently
  • Using tools that are not traditionally used for research, like Maps and Streetview

This XSeries program in Power Searching with Google is open for all and self-paced, so everyone can learn at their own pace without being locked in a schedule. There are two courses in the program:

  1. Power Searching with Google
  2. Advanced Power Searching with Google

XSeries Program in Power Searching with Google

You can benefit immensely from this course material and begin using Google search like a pro upon completing this program. You can also receive a certificate to showcase your Google search skills.

Some other good courses are available on Udemy on the subject of Google Search. Here are three popular courses you might consider: