Google will assist your research by making “Advanced Search” easier to find

Google Search – arguably the most dominant search tool in the world – just got a little more powerful (and a little more user-friendly). With Google's AI prowess making headlines, this recent update brings a welcome change to streamline the everyday search experience.

Advanced search, that toolbox for refining your results, has always been there. But like your least-used pair of jeans, it was often buried somewhere in the browser's Settings menu. The Google team knows that sometimes we need search results tailored with surgical precision. The decision to make advanced search more visible therefore makes perfect sense.

Say “Hello” to the toolbar

Have you ever noticed that row of options below the Google search bar – things like “All”, “Images” and “News”? This is the toolbar. Now Advanced Search has its own location at the end of this bar, making it much quicker to reach.

These are your basic everyday tools for finding things. I use them daily when I need to find a logo or royalty-free image for an item. However, when I need to find something very specific, I turn to advanced search. An example of this in my daily workflow would be a blog post published by Google in the last week containing the keyword “Pixel” and not mentioning “feature removal.” You got the idea. When you want a refined search, that's where advanced search shines.

Why is this important?

This update makes it seem like Google recognizes that advanced web searches are still important. Even in the age of AI, where you can simply ask a chatbot a question and expect to receive a quick but detailed response, there are still times when you need to do your own research. Plus, let's be real, AI chatbots are far from perfect and, as the disclaimers make clear, can sometimes give you incorrect information.