Google Search Operators Guide
Master Google search operators to refine your searches and conduct advanced SEO research. Find exactly what you're looking for with these powerful search commands.
What are Google search operators?
Google search operators are special characters and commands, sometimes called "advanced operators" or search parameters, that extend the capabilities of regular text searches.
Finding the right information on Google can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. It's frustrating when you know the information exists but can't locate it efficiently.
By using search operators, you can refine your search results and find what you're looking for. Whether you're conducting research or simply trying to find specific information, search operators can make your Google searches more efficient and targeted.
For example, a search operator might look like: allintitle: tesla vs edison
Search Operators Reference
For an interactive search operator builder and comprehensive reference, visit our Search Operators Guide.
Basic Operators
| Search Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
" " | Forces exact-match searches. | "nikola tesla" |
OR | Searches for results related to X or Y, not necessarily both. | tesla OR edison |
| | Functions identically to "OR." | tesla | edison |
() | Groups operators to control the order of execution. | (tesla OR edison) alternating current |
- | Excludes terms from search results. | tesla -motors |
* | Acts as a wildcard for matching any word or phrase. | tesla "rock * roll" |
#..# | Searches within a range of numbers. | tesla announcement 2015..2017 |
$ | Searches for specific prices. | tesla deposit $1000 |
€ | Searches for prices in euros. | €9.99 lunch deals |
in | Converts units. | 250 kph in mph |
define: | Searches for the definition of a word or phrase. | define:telescope |
filetype: | Searches for specific types of files. | "tesla announcements" filetype:pdf |
ext: | Same as filetype, searching for specific file extensions. | azure ext:pdf |
site: | Searches within a specific website. | site:goodwill.org |
intitle: | Searches only within page titles. | intitle:"tesla vs edison" |
allintitle: | Searches for every term following "allintitle" within page titles. | allintitle: tesla vs edison |
inurl: | Looks for words or phrases within a URL. | tesla announcements inurl:2024 |
allinurl: | Searches the URL for every term following "allinurl." | allinurl: amazon field-keywords nikon |
intext: | Searches for words or phrases within the body text of a document. | intext:"orbi vs eero vs google wifi" |
allintext: | Searches the body text for every term following "allintext." | allintext: orbi eero google wifi |
AROUND(X) | Finds terms within X words of each other in a text. | tesla AROUND(3) edison |
weather: | Searches for the weather in a specified location. | weather:New Jersey |
stocks: | Searches for stock information using a ticker symbol. | stocks:nvidia |
map: | Forces Google to show map results for a location. | map:Manhattan |
movie: | Searches for information about a specific movie. | movie:Oppenheimer |
source: | Searches for news from a specific source. | deepseek source:cnn |
before: | Searches for results before a specific date. | Microsoft before:2010-05-08 |
after: | Searches for results after a specific date. | Microsoft after:2010-05-08 |
Unreliable Operators
Note: These operators may work inconsistently or have limited functionality.
| Search Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
#..# | Searches within a range of numbers. | logitech keyboard $50..$60 |
inanchor: | Searches for pages with backlinks containing specific anchor text. | inanchor:tesla announcements |
allinanchor: | Searches for pages with backlinks containing multiple words in their anchor text. | allinanchor: tesla announcements |
daterange: | Searches for results from a specific date range. It can be inconsistent and requires Julian dates. | tesla announcements daterange:2457663-2457754 |
loc: | Finds results from a specified area. | loc:"Silicon Valley" Microsoft |
location: | Finds news from a specific location. | location:"London" Salesforce |
related: | Find sites related to a specified domain. | related:nytimes.com |
Deprecated Operators
Note: These operators have been deprecated by Google and may no longer work.
| Search Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
~ | Include synonyms. It seems to be unreliable, and synonym inclusion is the default now. Deprecated in 2013 | ~cars |
"+" | Force exact match on a single phrase. Deprecated with the launch of Google+. Dropped in 2011 | +cars |
inpostauthor: | Searches for posts by a specific author. Deprecated in 2013 | inpostauthor:"Tom Capper" |
allinpostauthor: | Same as inpostauthor, but it applies to all terms following it. | allinpostauthor:Tom Capper |
inposttitle: | Searches for posts with specific words in the title. | inposttitle:apple iphone |
link: | Searches for pages linking to a specific URL or domain. | link:microsoft.com |
info: | Searches for information about a specific page or website. Deprecated in 2017 | info:Amazon.com |
id: | Same as info, searches for information about a specific page. | id:openai.com |
phonebook: | Searches for someone's phone number. Deprecated in 2010 | phonebook:Jeff Bezos |
# | Searches for hashtags on the discontinued Google+. Deprecated with the sunsetting of Google+ | #NFL |
cache: | Find the most recent cache of a webpage. Discontinued in 2024 | cache:microsoft.com |
Practical Use Cases for SEO
Having all the pieces is only the first step in building a puzzle. The real power of search operators comes from combining them. Here are practical ways to use search operators for SEO:
Find non-secure pages
Search with site:example.com -inurl:https to find pages that aren't using HTTPS, which are less secure and could hurt your SEO.
site:microsoft.com -inurl:https Find plagiarized content
Use the query allintext:example text to search for exact matches of your content across the web.
allintext:"your unique content here" Find guest post opportunities
Use specific queries to find websites that accept guest posts in your niche.
freelancing intitle:"write for us" inurl:write-for-us Find competitor's top pages
Identify your competitor's pages that have the most backlinks for a specific keyword.
site:moz.com inurl:link building Find internal linking opportunities
Find unlinked but related content within your site by combining search operators.
site:yourdomain.com "keyword or phrase" Understand local competitor's SEO strategy
Utilize the map: operator to conduct location-based searches and identify local competitors.
map:McDonalds Find credible sources
Use filetype: and ext: to find documents or particular formats for credible references.
filetype:pdf llm training data Identify competitors
Use the related: search operator to discover competitors with similar offerings.
related:wix.com Find affiliate marketing opportunities
Find reviews of your competitors using the allintitle: operator.
allintitle:review (squarespace OR weebly) Find indexation errors
Use the site: operator to check which of your website's pages are indexed.
site:example.com filetype:pdf Advanced Search Parameters
You can also construct your own Google search strings using URL parameters. Here are some advanced parameters you can use:
Date Range Search
Use as_qdr=x in the URL to limit searches to specific time periods:
d- the previous 24 hoursw- the previous seven daysm- the previous monthy- past yearmn- the previous n number of months (e.g., m2, m3)
Usage Rights
Use as_rights=xxx to find content with specific usage rights for images and files.
Price Range
Use nnn..yyyy in your query to search for products in a specific price range.
For example: logitech keyboard $50..$60
Ready to use Serply's Search API?
While Google search operators are powerful, Serply's API makes it easy to programmatically access search results with all the flexibility you need.
View Google Search API Documentation →