Google Search Operators

Google Search Operators?

Google search operators are special commands you can use to find more specific information in Google.

site:semrush.com

The “site:” operator allows you to search for results from a specific website.

List of 35+ Google Search Operators

Here are the search operators Google supports:

1-intitle:

Searches for pages that contain a specific word in the title tag. 

Try it out: intitle:pizza

2-allintitle:

Works like “intitle'' but will only show pages where the title tag includes all of the specified words.

Try it out: allintitle:pizza recipe

3-related:

Allows you to find sites related to a particular domain. 

Try it out: related:nytimes.com

4-OR

Finds results related to one of two search terms. In some cases, results will contain both search terms. 

Try it out: pizza OR pasta

This will show pages that are related to either pizza or pasta. Or both.

Alternatively, you can use the pipe (|) operator in place of “OR.” It does the same thing.

Try it out: pizza | pasta

5-AND

Finds results related to both the searched terms.

Try it out: pizza AND pasta

The AND operator is usually implied in Google search queries. When entering multiple search terms, Google assumes you want to see results that include all of those terms.

-

The minus (-) operator excludes a particular term or phrase and shows pages that don’t include the excluded term (or terms).

6-()

The parentheses “()” groups multiple terms or search operators to influence the final search.

Try it out: Tesla (Model S OR Model Y)

7-*

Acts as a wild card and fills in the missing word or phrase.

Try it out: best * in Paris

8-define:

See the definition for a specific word or concept. The definition is displayed in a special dictionary box, but sometimes Google might just show websites that define the term for you.

Try it out: define:algorithm

9-filetype:

Find results of a particular file format (e.g., PDF, XLS, PPT, DOCX, etc.)

Try it out: filetype:pdf climate change

You’ll see search results for PDF files related to climate change.

10-cache:

Allows you to view the most recent cached version of a webpage.

Try it out: cache:semrush.com

11-site:

Finds results from a specific website.

Try it out: site:nytimes.com

12-inurl:

Finds pages that include a specific word in the URL.

Try it out: inurl:shampoo

13-allinurl:

Works like “inurl” but will only return pages where the URL includes all of the specified terms.

Try it out: allinurl:best baby shampoos

14-weather:

Allows you to quickly see weather conditions for a particular location.

Try it out: weather:london

Google will display the current temperature, forecast, and other weather-related information

15-map:

Shows a map of a specific location.

Try it out: map:new york

16-movie:

Shows information about a specific movie.

Try it out: movie:avengers endgame

17-stocks:

Allows you to quickly see stock prices and other financial information of a particular company.

Try it out: stocks:tesla

intext:

Looks for pages that contain a specific word in the content.

Try it out: intext:AI

18-allintext:

Works like “intext” but will only show pages where page content contains all of the specified words.

Try it out: allintext:SEO tips

19-source:

Finds news articles from a specific source in Google News.

Try it out: tesla source:nytimes.com

20-in

Lets you convert one unit to another. Applies to currency, weights, distance, temperature, time, etc. 

For example, you can search for “999 USD in EUR” to see how much $999 USD is worth in euros.

Try it out: 999 usd in eur

21-“search term”

Using quotation marks around a search query allows you to search for an exact phrase rather than individual words.

Try it out: “best pizza in new york city”

In this example, Google will only show results that include that exact phrase, rather than “best,” “pizza,” and “new york city” separately

22-AROUND(X)

Searches for pages where two words appear within the distance of “X” words from each other.

Try it out: Tesla AROUND(5) Model S

In this example, Google will return pages with words “Tesla” and “Model S” in content where they appear within five words from each other.

22-location:

Narrow your results to a specific location. 

Try it out: location:seattle pizza

You’ll see pizza-related results specific to Seattle

23-blogurl:

Find all of a domain's blog URLs. The operator was useful for performing searches in Google Blog Search, which was shut down in 2011.

Example: blogurl:semrush.com

Although this operator has been deprecated, it still returns a few relevant results in a regular Google search

24-#..#

Search for information within a specific range of numbers. For example, if you want to find articles about the best ’90s movies, you can use “best movies 1990..1999” as your search query.

Example: best movies 1990..1999

25-inanchor:

Allowed you to find webpages that have links pointing to them using a specific anchor text. 

For example, if you want to find webpages that have links pointing to them with the anchor text “books,” you can use “inanchor:books” as your search query.

Example: inanchor:books

26-allinanchor:

Works like “inanchor” but would only return pages where a link’s anchor text contains all specified words.

Example: allinanchor:best books 2023

27-+

Find pages that mention a specific word or phrase exactly as written.

For example, if you search for “Semrush +team,” Google will only show you pages that have the words “Semrush” and “team” together. And not pages that have “Semrush” and “team” separately or in a different order.

Example: Semrush +team

Note: The “+” operator has been discontinued by Google. You can

28-#

See blogs, social media posts, and news articles that used a specific #hashtag.

Example: #throwbackfriday

Note: This one doesn’t seem to work. It often returns false positives.

29-~

Finds pages that contain synonyms for a word or phrase.

For example, if you search for “~healthy recipes,” Google will show pages that contain words or phrases related to healthy recipes, such as nutritious recipes, low-fat recipes, wholesome recipes, etc. 

Example: ~healthy recipes

Note: Google has terminated this operator. For most searches, Google automatically shows pages that include synonyms.

30-link:

Search for webpages that link to a specific URL. For example, if you search for “link:nytimes.com,” Google will show all webpages that link to The New York Times website.

Example: link:nytimes.com

Note: Google has deprecated this operator, as confirmed by Google’s Gary Illyes on Twitter. It doesn’t return relevant results

31-info:

Find more information about a specific URL or domain. Like a cached version, similar sites, links to the site, etc.

Example: info:semrush.com

Note: Google has terminated this operator.

32-daterange:

Allows you to search for content that was published within a specific date range. The date range must be specified in Julian format.

Example: daterange:23001-23091 SEO

Note: We’ve found that this operator no longer works.

33-inpostauthor:

Search for content written by a specific author. 

Example: inpostauthor:Neil Gaiman

This operator used to work in Google Blog Search, which was retired in 2011. It doesn’t work in regular Google Search

34-phonebook:

Find a person’s phone number.

Example: phonebook:elon musk

Google has discontinued “phonebook:” search operator, as confirmed by a former Google employee in a blog post

35-inposttitle:

Look for blog posts with specific words in the title. 

Example: inposttitle:SEO tips

This operator was useful for finding relevant blog posts in Google Blog Search. It doesn’t work in regular Google Search.

Advanced Search Opeartors

1-Get Internal Linking Ideas-if we want to add internal links to this guide, we can search Google with search operators like this:

site:semrush.com/blog/"Google search opeartos"

2- Find Site Indexation Issues

site:techcrunch.com

3- Find Websites for Guest Posting

Your keyword intitle:“write for us”

Your keyword intitle:“become an author”

Your keyword intitle:”contribute”

Your keyword intitle:“guest article”

Your keyword intitle:“submit a post”

Your keyword intitle:“submit an article”

Alternatively, you could also use the “inurl:” search operator.

Your keyword inurl:“write for us”

Your keyword inurl:“become an author”

Your keyword inurl:”contribute”

Your keyword inurl:“guest article”

Your keyword inurl:“submit a post”

Your keyword inurl:“submit an article”

5-4. Find Non-Secure Pages on Your Domain

Any pages on your website that are still using HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) are not secure for visitors.

site:yourwebsite.com-inurl:https

6. Find Resource Pages for Link Building

Resource pages are webpages that curate and link out to useful industry resources. Like articles or tools.

7-But how do you find websites that curate resource pages?

Google search operators can help.

Search Google with one of these Google search strings:

Your keyword intitle:resources

Your keyword intitle:links

Your keyword inurl:resources

Your keyword inurl:links

6. Track Down Duplicate Content Issues

Duplicate content is when the exact same content appears on the web in more than one place. 

It could be on your website: Two or more pages on your website display the same content.

Or someone else’s website: Some other website copy-and-pasted your content on their site

-site:semrush.com"sentenc"

site:semrush.com"sentenc""

7. Find Files You Don’t Want to Keep in Google’s Index

If you use special content assets (PDF files, Excel spreadsheet templates, etc.) as your lead magnets, you probably don’t want them appearing in Google search results.

That’s because users can freely access them without exchanging their contact information with your business.

Site:semrush.com Filetype:xyx

8. Search Outreach Prospects’ Social Media Profiles

Many of the most useful link building strategies revolve around outreach.

It’s where you contact website owners—via social media, email, etc.—and give them a compelling reason to link to your content.

prospect name site name(site:twitter.com or site:facebook.com)