Google’s search engine, I often think, is a bit like Microsoft software - 95% of people only use 5% of the features. And it’s usually because many people are unaware of the many search parameters that can be used. You can find details of advanced search operators here starting from this page:

http://www.IanSays.com/Google/AdvancedSearch

Let me give you an example, and it’s a powerful one. This search technique lets you find recently published articles on EzineArticles.com with more than a certain number of page views. It’s a great trick to identify up-to-date and popular sub-niches within a broader niche. Here’s the search term in full:

KEYWORD site:ezinearticles.com “This article has been viewed 2000..199999″ “Article Submitted On: * *, 2009″

That’s all on one line, by the way. So, you put in your keyword followed by a space and then the rest of the search term.

The two dots “2000..199999″ will find any number between those two values. So if you want to find articles with 5,000 or more page views, change “2000″ to “5000″. The two asterisks are wild card characters substituting for the month and the date that the article was submitted to EzineArticles.com

That particular search term on its own is a valuable research tool. But, with a bit of creative thinking, you can use these, and other advanced search operatives to really put more power into your Google searches.