SEO Reference
Google Search Operators
Search operators are the cheapest diagnostic tool in SEO and half the ones people still recommend no longer function. These are the operators I use regularly, with an honest note about how approximate the results are.
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| site: | Restricts results to one domain or path | site:example.com/blog |
| Quotation marks | Exact phrase match | "core web vitals" |
| Minus sign | Excludes a term | seo -jobs |
| OR | Either term, must be capitalised | ppc OR sem |
| inurl: | Term appears in the URL | inurl:pricing |
| intitle: | Term appears in the title | intitle:checklist |
| filetype: | Restricts to a file type | filetype:pdf |
| cache: | Retired, no longer supported | Use the Wayback Machine instead |
| Goal | Query pattern | What it reveals |
|---|---|---|
| Find indexed staging | site:example.com -inurl:www | Subdomains that should not be indexed |
| Find thin or duplicate templates | site:example.com intitle:"category" | Templated pages competing with each other |
| Find indexed PDFs | site:example.com filetype:pdf | Documents outranking real pages |
| Check a page is indexed | site:example.com/exact-url | Presence, though not a definitive count |
| Find guest post targets | "write for us" your topic | Sites accepting contributions |
Notes
The result count on a site: query is an estimate and often wildly wrong, so never report it as an index count. Use it to spot patterns, such as an entire parameterised URL family appearing, and use the Search Console index coverage report for anything you would put in a document.
Operators are most valuable for finding things you did not know existed. Running site: against a client domain in the first hour of an engagement routinely surfaces an old staging subdomain, a duplicate print template or a forgotten microsite that nobody on the team remembers launching.
Google has retired operators over time, including the cache: operator, and it applies personalisation and localisation to results. For repeatable audit work, use a logged out browser or an incognito window and be aware you are still seeing a location influenced result set.
Operator support changes without announcement and Google does not publish a complete list. Verify behaviour yourself before relying on an operator in a process, and check the Google Search Central documentation for anything related to indexing.
Frequently asked questions
Is site: an accurate way to count indexed pages?
No. It is directionally useful for spotting URL patterns but the number is an estimate. Use Search Console's page indexing report when the number matters.
Why does cache: no longer work?
Google retired the cached page feature. For historical versions of a page, use the Internet Archive Wayback Machine instead.
Official sources
Platforms change specifications without notice. Check the primary documentation before a launch that depends on an exact value.
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