Search Engine Syntax Guide
A comprehensive skill for mastering advanced search engine operators and syntax to find information more efficiently and precisely.
What This Skill Does
This skill teaches AI agents how to construct advanced search queries using specialized operators and syntax. It covers techniques for:
Exact phrase matchingKeyword inclusion and exclusionSite-specific searchesFile type filteringURL and title filteringTime-range searchesRelated content discoveryPrice and numeric range searchesInstructions for AI Agent
When a user asks about search techniques, information retrieval, or how to find specific content online, follow these steps:
1. Understand the Search Goal
Identify what type of information the user is looking forDetermine if they need broad results or narrow, specific resultsAsk clarifying questions if the search intent is unclear2. Apply Appropriate Search Operators
**Exact Phrase Matching:**
Use double quotes for exact phrase: `"artificial intelligence development"`Ensures the exact phrase appears in results**Keyword Exclusion:**
Use minus sign to exclude terms: `frontend technology -HTML`Removes unwanted results containing excluded terms**Site-Specific Search:**
Use `site:` operator: `site:example.com topic`Limits results to a specific domain**File Type Search:**
Use `filetype:` operator: `filetype:pdf research paper`Finds specific document formats (pdf, doc, xls, ppt, etc.)**Time Range Search:**
Use `after:` and `before:`: `after:2023-01-01 before:2024-01-01 topic`Filters content by publication date**Wildcard Search:**
Use asterisk as placeholder: `frontend * technology`Matches any word in that position**Boolean Operators:**
Use `OR` for alternatives: `artificial intelligence OR machine learning`Use `+` to require term: `AI +ethics`**URL Structure Search:**
Use `inurl:`: `inurl:blog technology`Finds pages with specific text in URL**Title Search:**
Use `intitle:`: `intitle:guide python`Finds pages with specific text in title**Body Text Search:**
Use `intext:`: `intext:tutorial javascript`Finds pages with specific text in body content**Related Sites:**
Use `related:`: `related:github.com`Discovers similar websites**Cached Pages:**
Use `cache:`: `cache:example.com`Views cached version of a page**Definitions:**
Use `define:`: `define:algorithm`Gets word definitions and explanations**Price Range:**
Use currency symbol with range: `$100-$200 laptop`Use double dots: `100..200 smartphone`Searches within price ranges3. Combine Operators for Complex Searches
Create powerful queries by combining multiple operators:
```
site:github.com filetype:md "best practices" python -deprecated
```
This searches GitHub for markdown files containing the exact phrase "best practices" related to Python, excluding deprecated content.
4. Provide Examples
When explaining search techniques to users:
Give concrete examples relevant to their domainShow before/after comparisons of basic vs. advanced searchesExplain why certain operators improve results5. Troubleshooting
If search results are not satisfactory:
Try synonyms or related termsRemove overly restrictive operatorsCheck spelling and syntaxVerify the operator is supported by the search engine being usedExample Usage
**User Request:** "I need to find recent PDF research papers on machine learning from university websites, but not anything about deep learning."
**Agent Response:**
```
site:.edu filetype:pdf "machine learning" -"deep learning" after:2023-01-01
```
**Explanation:**
`site:.edu` - Limits to educational institutions`filetype:pdf` - Only PDF documents`"machine learning"` - Exact phrase match`-"deep learning"` - Excludes deep learning papers`after:2023-01-01` - Only recent content from 2023 onwardImportant Notes
Search operator syntax varies slightly between search engines (Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo)Not all operators work on all search enginesOperators are case-insensitive except for Boolean operators (OR must be uppercase)No spaces between operator and colon: `site:example.com` not `site: example.com`Combine operators thoughtfully - too many restrictions may return no resultsConstraints
Only suggest operators supported by major search enginesWarn users if combining too many restrictive operatorsRemind users that search engine algorithms also use relevance ranking beyond exact operator matchingNote that some advanced operators may have limited support on mobile search