How To Exclude Words From Google Search Results (2024)

One of the most useful Google tricks that you can learn, is knowing how to exclude words from Google search results.

Why?

Because it can help you make your search techniques smarter and more targeted…

…so you only end up with the results you need.

What are Search Operators?

Search operators are a set of commands that allow you to be more specific with your Google search.

In other words:

These commands can help you communicate to Google exactly what you are looking for.

By using these commands, a list of more relevant results will appear. This saves you time and gives you only the information you need, faster.

It’s like magic…

In this tutorial, I will show you how to exclude words from Google search and get the most accurate results possible.

How to Exclude Words From Google Search

You’re probably thinking:

“Why would I want to exclude words or phrases from my Google search in the first place?”

Depending on how broad your search query is, Google will find a range of websites for the search query you typed. Those websites aren’t necessarily relevant to the intent that you had.

For example-

If you google “gyms near me“, Google will likely show you any gyms within your local area.

This could include:

And more. You get the point.

A broad search = broad results from Google.

Depending on the kind of gym you want, you can ask Google to exclude the other types of gyms. You then get a more refined list that is relevant to what you are looking for.

Ready to make your searches more precise?

Let’s have a look at the three primary ways to exclude words from Google search.

1. Use The Minus (-) Sign To Exclude Multiple Words

Use the minus (-) sign to remove multiple words from any search result.

With the minus sign, you’re telling Google that you don’t want to see any results that contain those particular words.

Here is an example of this:

You are looking to buy a couple of big industrial steel drums for a project at home. So you head over to Google and search “steel drums“.

When you look through the search results, you realise that most of them are related to the musical instrument steel drums.

Not the kind of steel drums you want.

So you do another search but this time using the minus symbol (-) for the words “music” and “instrument“.

Google now excludes any websites that contain the words “music” or “instrument” in them.

With those words excluded, you get a refined list of websites with the industrial steel drums you want.

It’s THAT easy.

2. Use Quotes (“”) To Exclude Results That Mention Precise Terms

Using quotation marks tells Google that you want to exclude any results that mention a specific phrase or term.

For example-

You need a new laptop computer for work. You are looking for a higher-end laptop because you need to run heavier software.

That means that you don’t want a cheap, budget laptop that cannot handle your work.

Putting the words “budget laptop” in quotation marks means Google won’t show you any websites that mention that phrase.

You will now only see results for higher-end work laptops that are relevant to what you want to buy.

3. Use “Site:” To Exclude Results From Specific Websites

The “site:” search operator is my favourite way to exclude in Google search.

Using the “site:” search operator allows you to exclude a specific website from your search results.

Let’s say you want to buy a new basketball hoop but don’t want to buy it from Amazon.

The site search operator excludes amazon.com, so you don’t see it as an option in the search results.

Why Using Search Operators to Filter Your Results Is Important

When you search, Google’s algorithm considers two things:

The algorithm brings back a list of results it thinks will be the most relevant for you, personally.

But they don’t always understand exactly what you are searching for. That’s why you often get dished up results you’re not interested in.

That’s where the power of search operators come in.

They help Google’s search engine filter the results and give you the information you were looking for.

Here are two reasons why you should regularly exclude words from Google search.

Get More Valuable, Relevant And Updated Results

Remember:

Google usually delivers a mix of both relevant and irrelevant results which make you spending more time sifting through each result, clicking back and forth.

When you use any of the three examples in your search, you quickly exclude:

All of which aren’t relevant to your search.

You tell Google that you aren’t interested in those things.

This immediately helps Google refine the search bringing back more valuable and updated results for you.

Find The Information You Need Quickly

The most significant benefit of excluding words from your Google search is…

…the amount of time it will save you.

Think of a typical Google search that you would make that doesn’t exclude any words.

Let’s say you are looking for a new laptop stand:

The search would look something like this:

1. You search “laptop stands” in Google
2. Google delivers the first ten results
3. You go through each result, hoping to find a good laptop stand
4. After skimming and scanning the results, you realise that a lot of the results contain “standing” laptop stands which you aren’t interested in

Because the results aren’t filtered and you didn’t exclude the word “standing” from your search, you had to skim through a ton of results that weren’t relevant to what you wanted.

Now imagine if you did the same thing…

…But this time, excluding the word “standing“.

With a list of more relevant results, you’re finding a laptop stand that you’re actually interested in…faster.

You see when you use the search operator to remove results that contain specific words, Google is bringing back even more specific results.

Who doesn’t want to cut their search time in half right?

Wrapping it Up

So there you have it: how to exclude words from Google Search results.

Excluding words from your Google searches helps the algorithm know what you want.

You will:

Google is smart…

…but there is still room for improvement.

We are in charge of making Google work for us (not against us).

Take advantage of the ability to make your search more targeted and relevant for you-

Next time you are Googling something, think about how you can exclude irrelevant words, phrases and websites to refine your search.

It might seem confusing at first, but choose one of the three ways to exclude words and it will become more simple.

Once you get the hang of it-

You won’t go back to the old way of searching on Google.

Start improving the accuracy of your searches by using the three primary search operators that exclude words from the search.

Get Google working smarter for you and save yourself time in the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you exclude a word from a Google search?

You can exclude a word from your search by putting a minus sign (“-“) in front of the term you want to exclude. Make sure you include a space before the minus sign; otherwise, it won’t work.