Google: The Missing Manual, 2/e (Paperback)

Google.com is one of the five most popular sites on the Internet and is used around the world by millions of people every day. Sure, you know how to "Google it" when you're searching for something--anything!--on the Web. It's plenty fast and easy to use. But did you know how much more you could achieve with the world's best search engine by clicking beyond the "Google Search" button?

While you can interface with Google in 97 languages and glean results in 35, you can't find any kind of instruction manual from Google. Lucky for you, our fully updated and greatly expanded second edition to the bestselling Google: The Missing Manual covers everything you could possibly want to know about Google, including the newest and coolest--and often most underused (what is Froogle, anyway?)--features. There's even a full chapter devoted to Gmail, Google's free email service that includes a whopping 1 GB of space).

In this scrupulously objective, wise and witty guide, Sarah Milstein and Rael Dornfest deliver the complete scoop on Google, from how it works to how you can search far more effectively and efficiently (no more scrolling through 168 pages of seemingly irrelevant results); take best advantage of Google's lesser-known features, such as Google Print, Google Desktop, and Google Suggest; get your website listed on Google; make money with AdWords and AdSense; and much more.

Whether you're new to Google or already a many-times-a-day user, you're sure to find tutorials, tips, tricks, and tools that take you well beyond simple search to Google gurudom.

 

Table of Contents

The Missing Credits

Introduction

Part One: Searching with Google

Chapter 1. Google 101

     The Heart of Google: Basic Text Searches

     How to Get More out of Google

               Getting Specific

               To Quote a Phrase

               Searching Within Your Results

               And vs. Or

               Just Say No

               Just Say Yes

               Getting Lucky

     Two Important Google Quirks

               Wildcards

               The Ten-Word Limit

     Interpreting Your Results

               Your Actual Results

               The Things You Didn't Ask For

               The Stuff at the Bottom of the Results Page

     When Not to Use Google

     Nine Very Cool Google Tricks

               Definitions

               Calculator

               Phonebook

               Street Maps

               Stock Quotes

               Patents, Tracking IDs, and Other Numeric Goodies

               Weather

               Q&A

               Movies

     A Final Tip: Googling Google

Chapter 2. Superior Searching

     Have It Your Way: Setting Preferences

               Interface Language

               Search Language

               SafeSearch Filtering

               Number of Results

               Results Window

     Advanced Search

               Refining Your Search

               Page-Specific Search

               Topic-Specific Searches

     Advanced Search on Steroids

     Searching by Language and Country

     Searching by Town

     Getting Fancy with Syntax

               Searching Titles

               Searching Text

               Searching Anchors

               Searching Within Sites and Domains

               Searching URLs

               Who Links to Whom?

               Caching Up

               Daterange

               Searching by File Type

               Searching for Related Content

               Synonyms

               Most of the Kit and Caboodle

     Mixing Syntax

               How Not to Mix Syntax

               How to Mix Syntax Correctly

     Anatomy of a Google URL

               Changing the Number of Results

               Changing the Interface Language

               Two More URL Tricks

Part Two: Google Tools

Chapter 3. Googling Further: Images, News, Maps, and More

     Google Images

               Searching for Images

               Reading Your Images Results

     Google News

               Searching Google News

               Browsing Google News

               Customizing Google News

               Getting the News Delivered

     Google Maps

               Using Google Maps

               Getting Directions

               Using Local Search and Maps Together

     Google Directory

               When to Use the Directory

               Browsing the Directory

               Searching the Directory

     Google Print

               Searching for Books

Chapter 4. Googling with Others: Groups and Answers

     Google Groups

               When to Use Google Groups

               How Google Groups Are Organized

               How the Usenet Groups Are Organized

               Navigating Google Groups

               Posting Messages in Google Groups

               How to Create a Google Group

     Google Answers

               When to Use Google Answers

               Before You Ask a Question

               Asking a Question

               While You Wait

               Getting an Answer

               Changing Your Account Settings

Chapter 5. Shopping with Google

     When to Use Froogle

     Finding Stuff with Froogle

               Searching

               Advanced Froogle Search

               Shopping Lists

Chapter 6. The Google Toolbar

     The Google Toolbar: Search Faster

               Installing the Google Toolbar

               Working with the Search Box

               The Two Toolbar Buttons You Can't Get Rid Of

               The Optional Toolbar Buttons

     Other Browsers with Google Features

               Safari

               Mozilla, Firefox, and Netscape

               Two More Browsers Worth Mentioning

Chapter 7. More Cool Google Tools

     Alternative Search Boxes

               Browser Buttons

               Search Sidebars

               Searching from the Address Bar

     Bookmarklets

     Google Desktop Search

               Installing Google Desktop Search

               Using Google Desktop Search

               Disabling Google Desktop Search

     Google Deskbar

               Installing the Deskbar

               Searching via the Deskbar

               Customizing the Deskbar

     Experimental Google Tools

               Personalized Search

               Personalize Your Homepage

               My Search History

               Google Suggest

               Google Video

               Google Web Accelerator

               Google Sets

     Google Wireless

               Can Your Device Get Online?

               Is Your Device Actually Online?

               Googling on the Fly

               Google Mobile Local Search

               Froogle on the Road

     Google SMS

               Sending Out an SMS

Part Three: Google for Webmasters

Chapter 8. Becoming a Search Result

     Getting Your Site Ready for Google

               The Fundamental Steps

     Getting Google's Attention

               Introduce Yourself to Google

               Link Up I

               Link Up II

     Does Google Know You're There?

     Rising in Google Results

     Getting Rid of Google

               Hiding from the Whole World

               Hiding from Google

               Removing Yourself from Google

     Adding Google Searches to Your Site

               Adding a Box for Searching the Web

               Adding a Box for Searching Your Site

Chapter 9. Making Money with Google

     Google AdSense

               Signing Up for Google AdSense

               Logging in to Your AdSense Account

               Building Your AdSense Ads and Adding Them to Your Pages

               Adding a Google Search Box to Your Pages

               Getting Paid

               Monitoring Your Performance

               Honing Your Ads

               Referrals

               Getting Help

     Google AdWords

               Understanding AdWords Terminology

               Understanding the Costs

               Before You Sign Up

               A Few Final Words of Warning

               Signing Up

               Managing AdWords

               Reporting

               Billing

               Getting Help

Chapter 10. Google Analytics

     How Google Analytics Works

     Setting Up Google Analytics

               Signing Up

               Setting Up Your Site for Tracking

     A Snapshot of Your Web Traffic

               The Executive Overview

               Changing the Date Range

               Exporting the Data

               Printing a Report

     Assessing Your Site

               Your Most (and Least) Popular Pages

               More Content Performance Reports

               Fine-Tuning a Chart

               Drill-Down Analysis

     Goal Tracking

               Creating a Goal

               Reporting with Goals

     Understanding Your Visitors

               Where They Live and Who They Are

               New and Returning Visitors

               Browser Capabilities

Part Four: Gmail

Chapter 11. Gmail

     Welcome to Gmail

               Getting a Gmail Account

               A Peek in the Gmail Window

     Composing and Sending Messages

               Formatting a Message with Rich Text

               Adding File Attachments to Messages

               Using Picasa to Send Photos by Gmail

               Creating a Signature File

               Receiving and Reading Gmail

               Checking Your Gmail

               Reading Your Gmail Messages

               Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam

     Gmail Mailbox Management

               Archiving Messages

               Taking Actions with Messages

               Creating and Applying Message Labels

               Mail Filters

               Googling Your Gmail

               Deleting Messages Forever

               Printing Messages

     The Contacts List

               Manually Adding Contacts to Gmail

               Importing Contacts from Other Mail Programs

               Troubleshooting Importing Errors with Contacts

               Editing and Deleting Gmail Contacts

     Adjusting Your Account Settings

               Mail Settings

               Labels

               Filters

               Forwarding and POP

               Account Settings

     Other Cool Gmail Tricks

               Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts

               Turning Gmail into a Web-Based File Server

     Three Other Ways of Reading Gmail

               Using Gmail with a Different Mail Program

               Auto-Forwarding Gmail Messages

               Using Gmail with a News Reader

Part Five: Appendix

Appendix. The Google Wide Web

     Sites That Use Google

     Sites That Discuss Google

Index