Reference

Google Search Operators

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Google search operators are commands added to a search query to filter results, restrict scope, or surface specific content types. They are essential for SEO research: finding indexation issues, identifying competitor content gaps, prospecting for links, and auditing on-page signals at scale.

Core operators

site:

Returns pages Google has indexed from a specific domain or subdomain.

site:example.com
site:blog.example.com
site:example.com/category/

SEO uses:

  • Check how many pages Google has indexed: site:example.com (note: the count is an estimate, not exact)
  • Confirm a specific page is indexed: site:example.com/specific-page/
  • Find indexed pages within a subfolder: site:example.com/blog/
  • Check competitor index size: site:competitor.com
  • Find pages Google has indexed that you didn’t intend: site:example.com filetype:pdf

Caveat: site: counts are approximate and fluctuate. Do not treat them as exact index counts. Google Search Console’s Coverage report is authoritative.

inurl:

Returns pages where the specified string appears in the URL.

inurl:keyword
inurl:"/category/keyword"

SEO uses:

  • Find competitor pages targeting a keyword: inurl:keyword-phrase site:competitor.com
  • Identify pages using a specific URL pattern: inurl:/blog/ site:example.com
  • Find resource pages for link building: inurl:resources "seo"
  • Find guest post opportunities: inurl:write-for-us "seo"

intitle:

Returns pages where the specified word or phrase appears in the <title> tag.

intitle:keyword
intitle:"exact phrase"

SEO uses:

  • Gauge competition for a keyword: intitle:"target keyword" — shows pages where the exact phrase is in the title, a stronger competition signal than a standard search
  • Find content gap opportunities: compare intitle: results across competitors
  • Find directories or resource lists: intitle:"best seo tools" -site:example.com

allinurl: / allintitle:

Like inurl: and intitle: but require all specified words to appear (rather than any one of them). Less flexible; inurl: combined with standard query terms usually works better.

intext:

Returns pages where the specified word appears in the body content.

intext:"keyword phrase"

Less reliable than intitle: for SEO research — most pages contain any given word somewhere. Most useful when combined with other operators.

filetype:

Restricts results to a specific file type.

filetype:pdf "seo guide"
filetype:csv site:example.com

SEO uses:

  • Find PDF resources for link prospecting: filetype:pdf "link building"
  • Find CSV or spreadsheet data for research: filetype:xlsx "keyword research"
  • Audit indexable documents on your own site: site:example.com filetype:pdf

Shows sites Google considers similar to the specified domain.

related:example.com

Results are unreliable and often outdated. Useful occasionally for finding competitor clusters, but treat results as approximate.

cache:

Shows Google’s cached version of a page.

cache:example.com/page/

SEO uses:

  • Check what Google last crawled on a page
  • Compare cached version (what Google sees) against the live page to identify rendering issues
  • Verify when a page was last crawled

Note: Google has been reducing cache availability. The operator still works for many pages but is no longer universally available.

define:

Returns dictionary definitions. Useful for content research, not direct SEO.

Boolean and modifier operators

”exact match” (quotation marks)

Forces an exact phrase match.

"technical seo audit"
"link building strategies"

SEO uses:

  • Check how many pages rank for an exact phrase
  • Find plagiarised content: search for unique sentences from your articles in quotes
  • Verify a specific quoted passage is indexed: "exact sentence from your page"

- (minus / exclusion)

Excludes results containing the specified term.

seo tools -semrush
site:example.com -inurl:tag

SEO uses:

  • Remove branded results from competitor queries
  • Exclude low-quality results from research (e.g., -site:reddit.com)
  • Narrow results when a topic has multiple meanings

OR

Returns results matching either term. Must be uppercase.

seo OR "search engine optimisation"
link building OR "link acquisition"

SEO uses:

  • Research topics with multiple common terms
  • Find pages using either of two keyword variants

* (wildcard)

Matches any word or phrase in the position where it appears.

"how to * seo"
"best * for link building"

SEO uses:

  • Find question-format content opportunities
  • Research how competitors phrase topics

AROUND(n)

Finds pages where two terms appear within n words of each other.

seo AROUND(3) "link building"

Less commonly used; useful for finding pages that discuss two related concepts together without requiring an exact phrase.

Date operators

before: / after:

Restricts results to pages published or updated before or after a specific date. Format: YYYY-MM-DD.

seo guide before:2023-01-01
"core web vitals" after:2024-06-01

SEO uses:

  • Find outdated content ripe for updating or outranking
  • Research how a topic was covered before a major industry change
  • Find recent content to understand current SERP trends

Deprecated operators

These operators are no longer reliable or have been fully removed:

  • link: — showed inbound links to a URL. Removed. Use Ahrefs, Majestic, or Search Console for backlink data.
  • info: — showed indexation status and related pages for a URL. Largely deprecated; URL Inspection in Search Console is the replacement.
  • stocks: — financial data operator. Functionally replaced by the Knowledge Panel.
  • phonebook: — removed.
  • allinanchor: — unreliable results; avoid.

Useful operator combinations for SEO

Indexation audit

site:example.com -inurl:https

Finds HTTP (non-secure) pages still indexed — useful post-migration.

site:example.com inurl:?

Finds parameterised URLs indexed by Google.

Content gap and competitor research

site:competitor.com intitle:"keyword"

Find competitor pages targeting a specific topic.

intitle:"keyword" -site:bigbrand.com -site:anotherbigbrand.com

Remove dominant brands to find opportunities in the long tail.

inurl:resources intitle:"seo" -site:example.com

Find resource pages in a niche for link building outreach.

"write for us" intitle:"seo" inurl:contribute

Find guest post opportunities.

Plagiarism and content theft detection

"unique sentence from your article"

Find sites copying your content verbatim.

Finding unlinked brand mentions

"your brand name" -site:yourdomain.com -site:twitter.com -site:linkedin.com

Find pages mentioning your brand that may not link to you — outreach targets for unlinked mention link building.