Google might be the ultimate search engine. But it’s still a search engine. It’s only as good as the instructions you give it.
So did you know that Google has a plethora of search operators that make it easy for you to find exactly what they’re looking for?
Whether you’re doing research for a content strategy, trying to grow your personal brand, or even looking for linking opportunities for your business’ website, search operators are here to make your searches more effective. But first, you have to know how they work.
I’ve compiled a list of Google’s search operators, as well as examples of how to use them. Then, I dive into how to combine these operators to get the most out of your search.
Google Search Operators
Allinanchor: (also inanchor:)
What it means
Anchor text is text on a page that is linked to another page or a different section of its current page. When using the allinanchor: operator, you’re restricting search results to pages containing all query terms in the anchor text on the page.
How to use it
Say you search for inanchor:”award-winning restaurants Paris”. You’ll only get results in which the anchor text on links to the pages contains “award-winning,” “restaurants,” and “Paris”.
Allintext: (also intext:)
What it means
Searching with the allintext: operator limits your search results to those containing all of your search terms somewhere on the page, but not necessarily in that order or right next to each other.
How to use it
Say you search for allintext:”wordpress theme malfunction”. Your search results will only show webpages with the words wordpress, theme, and malfunction somewhere in the copy. Using allintext is a great way to narrow down your search results to find relevant information.
*Hint: You can use intext: to search for one specific word that should be include in the web page, or use the explicit phrase operator to find a specific phrase in the text (e.g. intext:“wordpress theme malfunction”)
Allintitle: (also intitle:)
What it means
The title of a webpage is usually at the top of the browser window, and is specified by the author of the page as the HTML TITLE element. Using the allintitle: operator restricts search results to those that feature your query in the title.
How to use it
By searching allintitle:”search marketing”, you will only see results that have “search marketing” in the title. This is a great way to get web pages, blogs, articles, and other resources that are specific to the topic you are searching for. You can also use the allintitle: operator to find images through image search and specific Google News stories.
*Hint: Just like the intext operator, use intitle: when you have one word or phrase you would like to appear in the title tag of a web document.
allinurl: (also inurl:)
What it is
The allinurl: operator restricts your search results to documents or pages containing your search terms in the url of the webpage. While urls typically have words running together, you don’t need to search that way. Google will include those URLs based on your normal search spacing.
How to use it
By searching allinurl:content conference, your search results will only contain pages that have “content” and “conference” in the url.
*Hint: Similar to the intitle operator, use inurl: when you’d like specific words to appear in the web URL.
Filetype:
What it is
The filetype: search operator limits your search results to the file type you are searching for. This operated is used as a suffix to your search query to limit the types of information you are perusing in your search.
How to use it
Say you want to look at some presentations on dog grooming to inspire your next business pitch for your dog grooming business. By searching dog grooming filetype:ppt, your search results would be limited to powerpoint files that contain the words “dog” and “grooming”, giving you direct access to valuable resources without having to search through articles and other non-pertinent information.
Link:
What is it
This common search operator will show a sample of backlinks of a website by showing websites that link out to the site you enter.
How to use it
If you want to see a sample of backlinks your own website has, you would search link:www.yoursite.com. Google would then return the web documents that link out to your site, showing you how many backlinks you have across the web.
*Hint to get more & better results – you’ll need to use a tool like Ahrefs to get backlink information.
Related:
What is it
The related: search operator will return search results that are similar to the webpage you place after the colon.
How to use it
If you’re interested in finding link building opportunities and have an example of a good site that you could get a link from, you can use the related: operator to find more opportunities. So if you’re a fashion blogger who received a link on theeverygirl.com, you could look for similar opportunities for link building by searching related:theeverygirl.com.
Site:
What is it
This search operator is used to search within a specific site.
How to use it
To find a piece of information (or types of information) from a specific source, use the site: operator to limit your search to just within a certain website. So if you want to find cookie recipes from popular baking blogger Apt. 2B Baking Co to remake for your bakery, you would search cookie recipes site:apt2bbakingco.com.
*Hint: The site: search operator can also be used to search sites more thoroughly by adding either the folder or the subdomain of the site. For example, if you want cookie recipes that are specifically featured in Eating Well’s plethora of blogs, you could search cookie recipes site:eatingwell.com/blogs to find cookie recipes that are just featured on the blogs. Similarly, if you want to search a specific subdomain, like Google Books, you would search cookie recipes site:books.google.com to search through books on Google that feature cookie recipes.
Minus operator [-]:
What is it
The minus operator excludes certain words from your search results.
How to use it
Let’s pretend you own a smoke shop that sells specialty pipes and cigars. You want to find some link building opportunities for your online store, but you don’t want to sort through thousands of search results about all types of pipes. You could use the – operator to exclude words that typically accompany pipes, such as “plumbing” or “pvc”. It would look like this: pipes -plumbing -pvc.
Wildcard operator [*]:
What is it
The wildcard operator creates a placeholder in your search query and allows Google to fill it in.
How to use it
The wildcard operator is a versatile search tool. It can be used to find the missing lyric of a song, the missing word in a popular quote, or even to generate content ideas. Say you’re a baker looking for some inspiration on popular topics to blog about. By searching for baking in the *, your search query bar will fill with popular searches that fill in the wildcard space. From there, you can find all sorts of content that people discover when they’re looking for a particular topic.
Explicit phrase operator [“xyz”]:
What it is
Perhaps one of the most common Google search operators, the explicit phrase operator searches for an exact phrase enclosed in quotation marks.
How to use it
Say you want to find the top ten gardening magazines in the United States. By using the explicit phrase operator and searching “top ten gardening magazines in the United States”, you will significantly narrow down your search results to feature only those that include that exact phrase.
Getting the Most out of Your Search
Know that you have Google’s search operators down, how do you go about making the most of them?
The trick is to combine search operators to get the right information in far less time.
It’s a process that takes some trial and error. But it starts with defining exactly what you want, then deciding what “footprints” will be in common across those results, then creating and testing different combinations that capture those footprints.
For example, most WordPress blogs have “Powered by WordPress” in the footer. That’s a WordPress website “footprint.” To find pages that match that footprint, you can look for intext:”powered by WordPress” – which you can combine with others or with normal keywords to find relevant websites with that footprint. So – “filipino foods” intext:”powered by WordPress” will show WordPress websites about filipino food.
Here are a few of my favorites
Find Content by a Specific Author
If you’re looking for content by a specific author, you can use the following combinations of search operators to narrow down your search. The more combinations you use, the more tightly-targeted your results will be. Let’s say you want to read some content marketing pieces by popular freelancer Jon Morrow. Here are a few ways you could search:
“content marketing” intext: “by Jon Morrow” → Gives you search results that include the phrase “content marketing” and also includes the phrase “by Jon Morrow” in the text.
“content marketing” site:*.com/blog intext:”by Jon Morrow” → Returns content in a variety of websites’ blog sections (as shown by site:*.com/blog) that feature the phrase “content marketing” in the text, as well as “by Jon Morrow”.
Find Guest Blog opportunities
Say you own a small, local accounting firm in Nashville and you’re looking for a chance to be featured on an industry blog. Use the following search operators to guest blogging opportunities and industry blogs.
Accounting inurl:blog → Shows results for sites that have blog in the url and the word accounting on the page.
Accounting inurl:blog intext:”write for us” → Shows results for for site that have blog in the url, accounting on the page, and specifically feature the phrase “write for us” in the text somewhere on the page.
Intitle:Nashville accounting inurl:blog → Narrows results down to those with Nashville and accounting in the title, and blog in the URL.
Accounting inurl:blog “guest blogger” → This search operator returns results that include the word “accounting”, the exact phrase “guest blogger”, and “blog” in the url.
Find Content Ideas
Want to start blogging, but not sure what popular searches in your industry are? You’ve already seen how the wildcard operator works, but by combining it with other search operators, you can find even more targeted results. Let’s use our example from before: you’re a baker looking for blog topics.
Baking in the *→ Your search query will fill with popular searches, and your results will feature a mix of content that includes baking, in the, and * options.
“Gluten-free baking” site:*.com/blog → This combination will return search results that specifically feature the phrase “gluten-free baking”, but are also only featured in a variety of websites (*) blog section.
Find Mentions of Your Brand
If your business is starting to take off, chances are you’re getting mentioned around the web and don’t even know it! To make sure you’re getting the proper attributions and links, use the following search operator to find your mentions:
ShivarWeb -site:shivarweb.com → This query will show me non-branded sites where my business has been mentioned.
Other Interesting Combinations
Haven’t had enough search operator fun? Check out these other interesting combinations to see just how far search operators can take you:
Find local talent
site:linkedin.com senior SEO specialist “atlanta”
Find local talent with 4-6 years of experience
site:linkedin.com senior seo specialist “atlanta” intext:”4-6 years”
Find local talent with a master’s degree
site:linkedin.com senior seo specialist “atlanta” intext:”masters degree”
Find related content on a site you like
site:cnn.com ~immigration
Find related content that excludes certain POVs or details
site:cnn.com ~immigration -Trump -US
Find an employee handbook for inspiration
filetype:pdf intext:”Employee Handbook” deloitte
Find a business plan for inspiration
filetype:pdf “business plan” intext:marketing -sample “alibaba”
Find classified government documents (not for inspiration)
filetype:pdf intext:”For Official use Only” classified -classification -unclassified site:dhs.gov
Takeaways
Now you’ve seen how many different ways you can use Google search operators. Once you really get them down, the opportunities are endless. All you have to do is identify what it is you’re searching for, then use search operator combinations to narrow down your results. It may take a couple tries before you find the exact information, but it’s way faster than sorting through 20+ pages of generic search results!
For more information on Google search operators and how to use them, I recommend reading the following resources:
10000 Search Engine Queries for your Link Building Campaign
Google Guide: Advanced Operators
25 Killer Combos for Google’s Site: Operator
How to Find Opportunities for Local Link Building
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