Introduction to Google Search Operators
Search operators help to exclude irrelevant results and quickly find exactly the information needed for campaigns and analyses. However, it should be noted that Google has abolished or changed many operators over the years. The algorithm is smarter today, and some special commands have become obsolete due to more advanced features or the shutdown of individual Google services.
Nevertheless, there are a number of active search operators that still work and immensely facilitate daily SEO tasks. Additionally, there are some outdated operators that still (partially) deliver results despite official discontinuation – as well as those that no longer work at all.
The following guide provides the most comprehensive overview of all known Google Search Operators. It lists active operators, explains their application and shows examples. Discontinued operators are also listed – with notes on whether and why they were abolished (and since when). Afterwards, we will show practical application scenarios for advanced users, such as how to find linkable content, research guest posts, spot duplicate content, identify indexing issues, and analyze competitors. With this knowledge, you will soon wonder how you ever managed without search operators.
Working Google Search Operators
These operators are currently reliable and can be used for professional research and analysis.
- “Term”
- OR / |
- AND
- – (Minus)
- * (Wildcard)
- () (parentheses)
- site:
- intitle:
- allintitle:
- inurl:
- allinurl:
- intext:
- allintext:
- filetype:
- ext:
- cache:
- define:
- before:
- after:
- AROUND(n)
- location:
- source:
- image size:
- map:
- movie:
- weather:
- stocks:
- in
“Term”
- Example: “Digital Marketing Trends 2025”
- Description: Searches for this exact phrase. Useful for duplicate content checks and citation searches.
OR / |
- Example: SEO OR SEA
- Description: Finds results that contain at least one of the two terms.
AND
- Example: Keywords AND Ranking factors
- Description: Shows pages that contain all specified terms. Default behavior of Google.
– (Minus)
- Example: Jaguar car
- Description: Specifically excludes terms. Example: Search results for Jaguar, but without cars.
* (Wildcard)
- Example: “Best * 2025”
- Description: Placeholder for one or more words. Helpful for variant research.
() (brackets)
- Example: (SEO OR SEA) “Case Study”
- Description: Groups operators for complex search queries. Particularly effective in combinations.
site:
- Example: site:example.com SEO
- Description: Limits the search to a specific domain or a subdirectory.
intitle:
- Example: intitle:”Linkbuilding Tips”
- Description: Finds pages where the term is in the Title tag.
allintitle:
- Example: allintitle:SEO Linkbuilding Tips
- Description: All specified terms must appear in the Title tag (order does not matter).
inurl:
- Example: inurl:forum “SEO tips”
- Description: Limitation to pages whose URL contains certain words.
allinurl:
- Example: allinurl:SEO forum tips
- Description: All terms must be present in the URL (not necessarily consecutively).
intext:
- Example: intext:”Keyword Research”
- Description: Finds pages where the term is included in the body text.
allintext:
- Example: allintext:SEO “Google Operators”
- Description: All terms must appear in the visible text of the page.
filetype:
- Example: filetype:pdf SEO study
- Description: Searches specifically for certain file formats (e.g. PDF, DOCX).
ext:
- Example: ext:docx Linkbuilding
- Description: Alias for filetype:, works identically.
cache:
- Example: cache:example.com
- Description: Shows Google’s cached version of a page.
define:
- Example: define:SEO
- Description: Displays the definition of a term above the search results.
before:
- Example: site:example.com before:2020-01-01
- Description: Shows only pages that were published before the specified date.
after:
- Example: “Google Update” after:2022-12-31
- Description: Shows only pages that were published after the specified date.
AROUND(n)
- Example: Apple AROUND(3) Samsung
- Description: Searches for terms that are at most n words apart.
location:
- Example: location:Berlin Startup
- Description: Filters Google News results by a specific location.
source:
- Example: AI source:heise.de
- Description: Shows Google News results only from a specific source.
image size:
- Example: imagesize:1920×1080 wallpaper
- Description: Finds images with exactly this resolution (image search only).
map:
- Example: map:Brandenburg Gate
- Description: Shows a map view of the location instead of normal results.
movie:
- Example: movie:Inception
- Description: Shows cinema programs or information about the movie.
weather:
- Example: weather:Tokyo
- Description: Displays current weather data for the searched location.
stocks:
- Example: stocks:AAPL
- Description: Displays stock information for a ticker symbol (e.g., AAPL for Apple).
in
- Example: 15 km in miles
- Description: Converts units (e.g. currencies, distances) directly in the search.
Partially functioning Google search operators
These operators still yield results, but are not officially documented or unreliable in their operation.
inanchor:
- Example: inanchor:”SEO Blog”
- Description: Finds pages that are linked with a specific anchor text. Results are often incomplete or outdated.
allinanchor:
- Example: allinanchor:link building guide
- Description: Like inanchor:, but all terms must appear in the anchor text. Delivers somewhat inaccurate results.
related:
- Example: related:example.com
- Description: Shows similar websites – only works for very large domains now and is no longer officially supported.
@
- Example: @nasa
- Description: Previously intended for social search, now mostly a regular search query. Results often unclear and mixed.
inpostauthor:
- Example: inpostauthor:”John Doe”
- Description: Was part of the old blog search. Although it is still partially accepted, it does not deliver consistent results.
allinpostauthor:
- Example: allinpostauthor:John Doe
- Description: As inpostauthor:, but without quotation marks. Results are outdated or unreliable.
inposttitle:
- Example: inposttitle:SEO Trends
- Description: Worked in the old blog search, today usually delivers useless or inconsistent results.
Non-functioning Google search operators
These operators have been disabled by Google. Their use has no or no targeted effect anymore.
link:
- Example: link:example.com
- Description: Was officially discontinued in 2017. No longer displays reliable backlink data.
info: / id:
- Example: info:example.com
- Description: Previously displayed an info page for the URL. Now non-functional. id: was an alias.
~ (Tilde)
- Example: ~Car
- Description: Should include synonyms, but was removed in 2013.
+
- Example: +SEO
- Description: Previously intended for exact search. Obsolete since 2011. Will be ignored.
blogurl:
- Example: blogurl:example.com
- Description: Part of the old Google Blog Search. No longer functional today.
date range:
- Example: daterange:2450000-2451000
- Description: Required Julian date specifications. Now replaced by before: / after:.
loc:
- Example: loc:”Munich” beer garden
- Description: Was intended as a local search, but no longer delivers specific results.
phonebook:
- Example: phonebook:Max Mustermann Berlin
- Description: Turned off in 2010. Previously used for phone searches via Google.
# (Hashtag)
- Example: #ThrowbackThursday
- Description: Used to search for hashtags on Google+. Today it is treated like a normal word.
Application Scenarios for Google Search Operators
1. Linkable Assets
Using operators like intitle: and inurl: allows you to identify topic-specific link lists or resources.
intitle:"useful links" SEO intitle:resources inurl:marketing
2. Research Guest Posts
Pages that publish guest posts can often be recognized by their wording or specific URL patterns:
intext:guest post SEO inurl:guest post intitle:Marketing
3. Check for Duplicate Content
Simply put a distinctive sentence in quotation marks – with or without the site:-filter:
"this sentence should only appear on my site" "this sentence" site:mydomain.com
4. Identifying Indexing Issues
Using site: in combination with file type, parameters, or dummy texts:
site:example.com filetype:pdf site:example.com "Lorem Ipsum"
5. Competitor Analysis & Backlink Ideas
With inurl:, site: and quotes, one can observe competitors and uncover link sources:
"konkurrent.de" -site:konkurrent.de site:*.konkurrent.de -inurl:www
Application Scenarios for Google Search Operators
1. Find linkable content (Linkable Assets)
With intitle: or inurl:, you can research topic-specific resources and link lists. These pages are ideal candidates for outreach campaigns or content placement.
intitle:"useful links" SEO intitle:resources inurl:content
2. Identify Guest Post Opportunities
Look specifically for websites that accept guest authors – for example, using terms like “guest post”, “write for us”, or “guest author”.
inurl:guest-post intitle:Marketing intext:"This is a guest post by"
3. Detecting Duplicate Content
To identify duplicate content, the quotation mark search is suitable. For external checks, simply copy the sentence – for internal checks, use the site: filter.
"A unique sentence from your content" "A unique sentence" site:rheinwunder.com
4. Discovering Indexing Issues
With combinations of site: and filetype:, inurl: or dummy texts like “Lorem Ipsum”, check if unwanted content is indexed.
site:rheinwunder.com filetype:pdf site:rheinwunder.com "Lorem Ipsum"
5. Analyze Competitors
Research the content, structures, and mentions of your competitors – e.g. with site:, related: or by searching for citation links.
site:competitor.com intitle:seo "competitor.com" -site:competitor.com -facebook -twitter
6. Brand Monitoring / Tracking Mentions
Find websites where your brand is mentioned – even if it’s not your domain. Perfect for outreach and link building.
"rheinwunder" -site:rheinwunder.com
7. Recognizing Technical Page Types
With inurl: and known patterns (e.g. dev, preview, ?id=) you can discover staging, parameter, or test pages.
site:rheinwunder.com inurl:dev site:rheinwunder.com inurl:?id=
8. Finding Content Gaps & New Topics
Discover content that your competitors already have – but you (still) do not. This is easily done with site: and industry-specific terms.
site:competitor.com "AI for E-Commerce" site:competitor.com intitle:strategy
What You Can Take Away from This Guide
Google search operators are far more than just technical gimmicks – they are a strategic tool for anyone who wants to go beyond the surface in online marketing. Whether for in-depth SEO audits, quick competitive analyses, or targeted content research: Those who master the operators save time, discover opportunities, and make more informed decisions.
Even if some operators are no longer officially supported or their effectiveness is limited, with the right know-how and a bit of experimentation, much can be extracted from the search results. Use the opportunities purposefully – and regularly test what works (still) for your projects.
Now it’s your turn!
If you want to know how to combine search operators with real SEO strategies, leverage technical potentials, or specifically enhance your visibility – we are happy to support you.Contact us and we will take your search strategy to the next level.
