Boolean operators help you filter search results to include and exclude certain words and phrases.
Not sure how to use Boolean operators? Just follow our instructions below...we’ve used the super bowl and words related to the event as examples. Just replace these words with your own and watch the magic happen.
Before we begin, here are a couple of things to remember:
- Boolean operators affect searches only involving multiple words or phrases. So if you search for football, you’ll find posts with the word football in it.
- The quotations mentioned are double quotations (“loren ipsum” and not ‘loren ipsum’)
- Operators like AND and OR only work if they’re typed in block letters.
Use this guide during your next search:
TYPE SEARCH TERM TO FIND CONTENT CONTAINING
super bowl super bowl or super or bowl
“super bowl” super bowl
“super bowl” OR “game day” super bowl or game day
“super bowl” AND “game day” both super bowl and game day
“super bowl” -halftime super bowl but not halftime
For a more detailed guide, scroll down:
1. Type super bowl in the search box
To find posts with the words super or bowl or super bowl
To sum up, you’ll find three types of posts:
Posts with the word super
Posts with the word bowl
Posts with the words super and bowl
...you’ll even find posts that have super and bowl (that have absolutely nothing to do with the super bowl):
2. Type “super bowl” in the search box
To find posts containing the phrase super bowl
Your resulting posts will all contain the phrase super bowl, like the one below:
3. Type “super bowl” OR “game day” in the search box
To find posts containing either the phrase super bowl or game day
You’ll get 2 kinds of posts:
Posts with just the phrase super bowl
Posts with the phrase game day
4. Type “super bowl” AND “game day” in the search box
To find posts containing both phrases super bowl and game day
Your results will have posts like the one below:
5. Type “super bowl” -halftime in the search box
To find posts containing the phrase super bowl but not halftime
Check out the post below as an example
6. Type halftime -”super bowl” in the search box
To find posts containing the word halftime but not the phrase super bowl
You’ll find posts like the one below
FYI, the above operators totally works even with hashtags.
For example:
7. Type #broncos AND #SB50 in the search box
To find posts with the hashtag #broncos and #SB50