I’m sure this has happened to you countless times. You open Google, type a query into the Google Search box, and are then served up an ad-laden page of links. The page is usually also cluttered with sponsored posts and all kinds of other garbage that makes finding the information you’re after a bit like hunting for the needle in the proverbial haystack.
This may be partly why an increasing number of Gen Zers are abandoning the search giant altogether and using a more popular digital alternative like TikTok as a permanent replacement. Which is not, in fact, as strange as it might sound. If you’re scouring the web for tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your new iPhone, for example, the TikTok app has you plenty covered on that score — with tons of simple-to-follow videos from users walking through different iPhone features.
The power of the Google-Reddit search query
There’s a simple trick you can use the next time you’re hunting for a specific piece of information from Google Search, meanwhile, that might help you considerably. Or, at least, to help you narrow down the glut of search results to a more manageable pile of data:
All you need to do? Just add the word “Reddit” at the end of your search query. That’s it.
Credit where credit is due, I got this trick from Reason magazine, and it definitely works wonders in terms of helping you separate the wheat from the search chaff. And here’s why it’s so brilliant. Let’s use, as an example, someone who’s looking for a good refrigerator to buy.
Here’s what I see now, having just searched for “best refrigerators,” the way a normal person might:
Ads, ads, ads that you have to scroll past to get to what you want.
After that? Google presents you with lots of collections and guides on refrigerators from consumer products writers for publications like Forbes, The New York Times, and Consumer Reports. Which is … fine, but is still a bit like — hey, here’s a bunch of options, pick one. Not as helpful as you’d like.
More useful results
But now, look what happens when I add “Reddit” at the end of the “best refrigerators” Google Search that I noted above (so it’s “best refrigerators reddit”). These are the first four links that Google delivers:
- Most reliable Refrigerator brand : r/appliancerepair – Reddit
- What brand/model refrigerator would you recommend? – Reddit
- Conflicting information on refrigerator brands to go for/avoid
- My family is looking for a new fridge. I think this is the best …
As you can see, links like those are much more likely to deliver useful information for someone looking for an appliance like this to buy. That’s all practical thoughts and opinions, in other words, from real people. And the other great thing about combining the power of Reddit and Google Search, by the way, is that the search functionality in the Reddit app can be a little finnicky, depending on what you’re looking for.
Just one more reason to combine both of those, the next time you open up a Search page and prepare to see what Google results are out there.
More Google Search coverage
