If you are like me, you probably use Google many times a day.  But, chances are, unless you are a technology geek, you probably still use Google in its simplest form.  If your current use of Google is limited to typing a few words in, and changing your query until you find what you’re looking for, then I’m here to tell you that there’s a better way – and it’s not hard to learn.  On the other hand, if you are a technology geek, and can use Google like the best of them already, then I suggest you bookmark this article of Google search tips.  You’ll then have the tips on hand when you are ready to pull your hair out in frustration when watching a neophyte repeatedly type in basic queries in a desperate attempt to find something.

The following Google search tips are based on my own experience and things that I actually find useful.  The list is by no means comprehensive.  But, I assure you that by learning and using the 12 tips below, you’ll rank up there with the best of the Google experts out there.  I’ve kept the descriptions of the search tips intentionally terse as you’re likely to grasp most of these simply by looking at the example from Google anyways.

Expert Google Search Tips

Explicit Phrase:
Lets say you are looking for content about internet marketing.  Instead of just typing internet marketing into the Google search box, you will likely be better off searching explicitly for the phrase.  To do this, simply enclose the search phrase within double quotes.

Example: “internet marketing”

Exclude Words:
Lets say you want to search for content about internet marketing, but you want to exclude any results that contain the term advertising.  To do this, simply use the “-” sign in front of the word you want to exclude.

Example Search: internet marketing -advertising

Site Specific Search:
Often, you want to search a specific website for content that matches a certain phrase.  Even if the site doesn’t support a built-in search feature, you can use Google to search the site for your term. Simply use the “site:somesite.com” modifier.

Example: “internet marketing” site:www.smallbusinesshub.com

Similar Words and Synonyms:
Let’s say you are want to include a word in your search, but want to include results that contain similar words or synonyms.  To do this, use the “~” in front of the word.

Example: “internet marketing” ~professional

Specific Document Types:
If you’re looking to find results that are of a specific type, you can use the modifier “filetype:”.  For example, you might want to find only PowerPoint presentations related to internet marketing.

Example: “internet marketing” filetype:ppt

This OR That:
By default, when you do a search, Google will include all the terms specified in the search.  If you are looking for any one of one or more terms to match, then you can use the OR operator.  (Note:  The OR has to be capitalized).

Example: internet marketing OR advertising

Phone Listing:
Let’s say someone calls you on your mobile number and you don’t know how it is.  If all you have is a phone number, you can look it up on Google using the phonebook feature.

Example: phonebook:617-555-1212 (note:  the provided number does not work – you’ll have to use a real number to get any results).

Area Code Lookup:
If all you need to do is to look-up the area code for a phone number, just enter the 3-digit area code and Google will tell you where it’s from.

Example: 617

Numeric Ranges:
This is a rarely used, but highly useful tip.  Let’s say you want to find results that contain any of a range of numbers.  You can do this by using the X..Y modifier (in case this is hard to read, what’s between the X and Y are two periods.  This type of search is useful for years (as shown below), prices or anywhere where you want to provide a series of numbers.

Example: president 1940..1950

Stock (Ticker Symbol):
Just enter a valid ticker symbol as your search term and Google will give you the current financials and a quick thumb-nail chart for the stock.

Example: GOOG

Calculator:
The next time you need to do a quick calculation, instead of bringing up the Calculator applet, you can just type your expression in to Google.

Example: 48512 * 1.02

Word Definitions:
If you need to quickly look up the definition of a word or phrase, simply use the “define:” command.

Example: define:plethora

Hope this list of Google search tips proves useful in your future Google searches.  If there are any of your favorite Google expert power tips that I’ve missed, please feel free to share them in the comments. . Hope this wil be useful ..

Here are 7 tips you should take to heart for the security of your computer and the data it contains.

1. Always make backups of your documents and other important information stored on your computer. There is always the chance that malware can damage your operating system beyond repair. Take heed. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

2. Keep your Windows operating system updated with the latest security patches from Microsoft. Windows is the most popular operating system on the planet, and consequently it is the favorite target of hackers. Also locate and install patches for your Office programs.

3. Install a software or hardware computer firewall. There are no excuses for neglecting this one. If you are using Windows XP it’s built in. Go to the Security Center and make sure it’s enabled. If you do not have a firewall, viruses, worms, trojans, malware and adware can all easily enter your computer via the Internet.

4. Install an antivirus program and use it! Your computer is under a constant threat while online. Make sure you have the automatic update feature enabled, and schedule it to update virus definitions on a daily basis. You can also schedule scans with most antivirus software. I have mine set to scan every night.

5. Turn off your computer and disconnect it from the internet if you are not using it. Hackers can’t attack your computer if it’s off line.

6. Refrain from opening e-mail attachments. Don’t do it even if you recognize the sender. I use the delete button judiciously.

7. Don’t run programs from unknown origins. Be especially careful with P2P sites, shareware software, and freeware applications.

Follow these tips and your computer will run longer and have fewer problems.

The abbreviation known as DNS stands for domain name servers. They are an important but invisible part of the Internet. But first let me tell you a little bit about domain names…

A domain name is what appears on the address bar of an Internet page such as www.example.com. It is the address of the website that you are visiting. Your domain name is highly important to the success of your website; for a start your domain name should reflect what your business is about. So if you are in the business of selling phones your domain name should ideally have the word phone in it. This is because if someone conducts a search for phones your website will have more of a chance of appearing if you have this keyword in the address of your website.

New domain names are usually registered through the registrar for annual terms with a minimum of one year. The maximum length of prepaid registration is often 10 years, but varies depending on the policies of the sponsoring registry of the top-level domain under which registration is sought. Registration periods may be extended, usually at any time, until the end of a grace period after the registration expiration date. Domain names should also be kept short and should be something that is easy to remember so that people will be more likely to type your websites address into their browser.

Your domain name doesn’t actually appear as words, well it does to us but the actual name of your website is a 32 bit number, for example 199.249.130.4. Every website on the Internet has a number like this, they are known as the sites IP address. As well as every site having an IP address, every computer that is connected to the Internet also has their own IP address.

The reason that these IP addresses are changed into words is simply down to the fact that words are easier to remember. It is difficult to remember IP addresses, especially with how many IP addresses there actually are. Think about all of the sites that you visit daily, if these sites were all named with numbers would you be able to remember them all? The vast majority of us certainly couldn’t!

So when you type a websites address into your browser why doesn’t it appear as numbers, how does the computer find the site you are looking for? This is where a domain name server comes in. A domain name server converts the IP address of websites into words. The flexibility of the domain name system allows multiple IP addresses to be assigned to a single domain name, or multiple domain names to be services from a single IP address.

This means that one server may have multiple roles (such as hosting multiple independent websites), or that one role can be spread among many servers. One IP address can also be assigned to several servers, as used in any cast networking.

If you are using the Internet on a daily basis, you are already aware that the majority of Internet traffic is generated by search engines and directories. You’ve probably surfed the web and spent hours looking for instructions on optimizing your web site and submitting to search engines and directories. Much of this information is confusing and overwhelming and I can hear you screaming for help.

Getting ready to submit your site to search engines and directories can be time consuming if you do it yourself but it does not have to be complicated. I have reviewed hundreds of web sites as part of my business services and I discovered ten simple steps you need to take to get prepared for search engine and directory submission.

1. Build a professional web site. Buy your own domain name and get reliable hosting. Create or purchase a simple template design that fits the theme of your site.

2. Create a clear navigation structure and site map. Decide on your navigation in advance and make sure it is easy to use and it leads to all the pages on your site.

3. Add original content written for visitors and not search engine spiders. If you feel you cannot write well then visit Guru.com or Elance.com and hire an affordable copywriter.

4. Do your keyword research. Use free or paid keyword tools to find the most popular and targeted keywords for your text, headlines and meta tags.

5. Finish your website. Although you will add new content frequently it is important to show that your existing content is finished. Never use “under construction” signs and remove blank pages.

6. Regularly check all internal and external links to make sure they are working. Search engines and directories will not list sites full of broken links.

7. Don’t hide your contact information or privacy policy. Let visitors, search engines and directories know you are accessible and professional.

8. Check your grammar and spelling. Search engines hate sloppy, unprofessional text and I bet your visitors will too. See tip #3 above if you need to hire a proofreader.

9. Choose a tracking system and learn to use it to analyze your web site traffic. Without this you will have no idea if anyone is visiting your site.

10. Check your search engine ranking and link popularity reports regularly to monitor your results. There are many web sites that offer these tools. Find and use them.

When you have gone through and finished all ten steps then you are ready to begin your submission to search engines and directories. This is a complicated and time consuming task because you have to evaluate the reputation and ranking of each site, the available web site topics, how often you need to submit, the information they require from each site and you will need to determine if submission is free or paid.

There is software available that will help you with the preparation and submission process and reduce the time you have to spend significantly. If you decide to purchase software use due diligence before spending your money and make sure it is search engine friendly and that it performs the necessary tasks. Check for references from satisfied customers and make sure the software provides various reports so you can monitor your progress.

What actually makes a good website? Well, some of you might say a good website must be function-riched; others might think different and says that a good website must be nicely design, or fresh contents, or info-riched, the list goes on. Apparently, we can never have clear guidelines on a good website as different people have different preferences.

Nevertheless, regardless of people’s preferences, there are five essential elements that you cannot afford to miss if you wish to server a good website to your users.

Firstly a good website should always have a consistent style of content and design. Changing font colors and tone of writing from page to page will give weird feelings to your web users. Inconsistent stance on certain and change of tone in your writing style will definitely confuse your web users and harm the site creditability.

Secondly, a good website needs a proper navigation. Imagine your website as your garden; you do not want your users to lost middle in the way unless you’re planning to build a maze. Good site navigation will assure pleasant user experience and smooth information flow from the web publisher to the users. As a common standard (but not a must) of web designs, main navigations are often placed on top or on the side of website first fold for user convenience.

Also, on top of proper designed site navigation, an on-site search function will be a huge plus. A search function allows your users to get his/her desired page faster; a search function allows your buried deep content to get on top of the surface; a search function allows web owners to keep track on what he wrote previously easily. There are tons of ways to place a search bar on your website without knowing any programming skills. Google on-site search bar is a very good tool where very webmaster should use.

Thirdly, a reliable web hosting is a must for all websites. Fast response time, reliable server uptime – all these are must have for a good website. Your website must be accessible all the time and users should not be waiting too long for the website to response. Picking up a reliable web hosting is crucial for starter websites, upgrading your hosting plans or improving your own server resources are some of the instant step you can take to improve.

Accuracy is the fourth important element for a good website. You might not have too much time organizing your website but the info served should be accurate and up to date always. Your users are there to obtain information and its no good at all if you’re serving incorrect info to them.

Last but not least, give your web visitors a chance to contact you. Unless you are trying to con your web users, else your website contacts should be displayed with extra care and attention. Make sure that you placed your contacts, such as emails and phone number, are properly displayed. This is very important so that you web visitors can contact you if they feel the need to.

Listed above are the top five elements that a good website must have. Does your website have it all? You better start working on them if the answer is no.

If you read any internet e-book or guru’s guide, and you’ll find pages of information on how to build a landing page, SEO, article writing, and more. When you have those elements accomplished, they say, launch that puppy and watch the money roll in! But go to their sites, and you’ll see something at the bottom of each page that is not mentioned anywhere. You’ll see links to a Privacy Policy Page, Terms of Service, Disclaimer, Contact and Site Map.

Do you need these pages? And if you need them, how do you get them?

I say you really should have them: here’s why and how :—

A Privacy Policy page first guarantees your visitors that you won’t be distributing their information on the internet, and second lets them know how the information they submit to you will be used. This is key to building trust. Be specific and let visitors know how you will contact them. Writing this is a specialized job. It’s easiest to do a search for “Privacy Policy Generator.” This will bring up hundreds of websites who will do it on the spot for you. Don’t worry if some of the questions don’t fit your site, you can edit later. When it is finished, cut and paste the policy to your text editor, then you can personalize it to match your site. It’s nice to mention who generated it for you.

There is some crossover between your terms of service and your disclaimer. If you are selling a product or service, or representing something, make sure that you clarify that service is for visitors who are 18 and over. Terms of service covers your policy on returns, warantees and guarantees. Spell it out clearly, because people are sticklers for accuracy! You may also list your copyright information, let people know you are not responsible for information on sites that you have external links to, and if you are claiming a certain outcome of the use of a product or service ( i.e.- amount of income, clarity of skin, pounds of weight loss), make sure you note that your results may not be typical. Generators for TOS and disclaimer can be found free too.

Your contact page lets your visitors know how to contact you. The best way is to set up email within your host- it’s usually included- and make it match your site. For example: yourname@yoursite.com. You can also buy email names from places like GoDaddy, or you can purchase an auto-responder service like Aweber.

The site map is one of the most important elements. This has the purpose of helping the search engines find your site when a keyword is being searched, letting you watch how deeply linked your site becomes, and helping you find broken links within your site. One broken link can mean the difference between being found, and forever wallowing in the ether. I suggest using something that is compatible with Google. Personally I went to xml-sitemaps just to get my site crawled and indexed. Then I got verified by Google, and I keep track of my information through them. This can be a tedious and frustrating process, but it’s worth it.

Finishing your website and getting it launched is a joy like no other. However it’s important to make sure that with your great content you make sure your bases are covered. You can probably get away with not having a Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, TOS and Site Map- but you leave yourself open to unscrupulous players. Given that you can find all of this for free on the internet, there’s no excuse for not adding these valuable elements to each of your pages.

This will show you how to set up your wireless network security.