Jan 31, 20211 min
Google searches are still a lot of work. It's easy to put in a query, but finding the perfect answer out of the thousands of responses requires a lot of scanning and review.
If you know you're looking for a specific thing, such as a PDF document, include that in the Google Search.
It's easy to do, just add "filetype:" and then include whatever file format you need.
Google supports Filetype: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/35287?hl=en has a list of the searchable formats.
DuckDuckGo also supports Filetype: https://help.duckduckgo.com/duckduckgo-help-pages/results/syntax/
Bing supports it, too: http://help.bing.microsoft.com/#apex/18/en/10001/-1
Constraining your searches is a powerful way to help you find what you're seeking that much faster. Add "filetype" to your searching vocabulary