How to Perform a Country Specific Web Search

No matter which search engine you prefer, a ton of information is available at your fingertips. However, one search engine can work drastically different from the next, giving you alternative results. It also depends on your location and settings, as these can all influence the answers and the sources they are pulled from.

This tutorial shows how to tailor your search engine to deliver country-specific results.

Good to know: Google vs. Bing vs. DuckDuckGo: Which is best?

Google Search

Several years ago, it was possible to filter your results by clicking on the Tools button and specifying a country. As the Internet and results have morphed into a boundless giant knowledge repository, it’s no longer that easy.

Instead of using Google’s unnecessarily complex Programmable Search Engine, it’s quicker to go through Advanced Search.

1. Open a Google Search page, type what you are looking for and hit the search button. In the top-right corner, click on “Quick Settings.”

2. After the window pops out, click on “Advanced search.”

3. This takes you to a different page where you set the search parameters. The first line in the “Find pages with … ” section is the most important. It should be filled in with your previous search query, but if it isn’t, just add your text.

4. The section “Then narrow your results by … ” is where you specify your country-specific results. Click the drop-down to see a list if you want results in a specific language, but click on “Region” to specify a country. Then, click on the “Advanced Search” button at the bottom.

Tip: you can also navigate to each country’s dedicated Google Search page for localized results, such as Google.ca for Canada or Google.com.mx for Mexico.

Good to know: for search results that are not served in the regular search engines, you can check out the deep web.

Microsoft’s Bing

Like many other search engines, Bing returns search results based on your language and location. You could spoof your location with a virtual private network (VPN) for localized results, but those services are often sponsored (paid for), and free versions can compromise your personal details. Similarly to Google, you can change your location or language in the sidebar, but it doesn’t have an advanced search feature. Bing uses a set of country-specific codes to limit the information.

1. Navigate to bing.com and enter the words or phrases you want to search. Don’t click on the Search button just yet.

2. After your words, enter a space, then type loc: and the country code for your desired location. Microsoft has a complete list of codes available. However, they are in the same international format as web domains. For example, loc:us is for the U.S. and loc:de is for Germany. Hit the search, and you’ll see results from your chosen region.

3. If you want to change your region, location and language in Bing, click on the three-line menu in the top-right corner.

4. When the window opens, click on “Settings” so that it expands, then click on “Language,” “Country/Region” or “Location” to edit the details.

Tip: another trick with Bing is to insert the country code mentioned above in the address by adding /?cc=*insert country code* after the URL. For example, search for German results by typing www.bing.com/?cc=de. It will take you to the German-language Bing page, where you can search for local results.

Tip: looking for images? Use these image search engines instead.

Brave Search

If you are concerned about your online privacy, the Brave browser’s own search engine is an excellent option. It is also one of few search engines that let you specify a region or country on the results page like Google used to do a few years ago. While the Brave browser is a great stand-alone tool, you don’t need it to use Brave Search.

1. Navigate to search.brave.com.

2. Enter your search term, words or phrases and hit the search button.

3. Take a look at the two bars underneath the search box. Under “All,” “Images,” and “News” are “All regions,” “Safe Search,” and “Time,” respectively. To change the results’ location, click “All Regions.”

4. Scroll through the list and pick the country you want. The page will automatically refresh with the new information.

Tip: find out how DuckDuckGo protects your privacy.

DuckDuckGo

Another search engine that makes it easy to find country-specific results is DuckDuckGo.

1. Go to duckduckgo.com and enter your search term, then click on the search button or hit Enter.

2. By default, the results will be from all regions. But if you want to change it to a specific country, click on the region toggle.

3. A list of all the supported regions will appear in the drop-down menu. Scroll until you find the correct country, and click on it.

4. The selected country will automatically be enabled, and the page will refresh.

Yahoo

The glory days of Yahoo’s search engine might be gone, but millions of people still use it to catch up on daily news and search for answers. While you can change your region, Yahoo goes about it in a slightly awkward manner.

1. It’s best if you sign in to your Yahoo account, but it’s not necessary for changing your region. When you are on the Yahoo home page, click on “More” in the top ribbon.

2. This will take you to the “Products and Services” page, which is rather lengthy. Scroll down to the bottom and click on “Choose Your Country.”

3. Select any region, the page will reload with the relevant content, and any searches done will produce regional answers.

Tip: did you know that Chrome is the most popular browser, with a fierce battle brewing for No. 2?

Image credit: Pexels. All screenshots by Charlie Fripp.