Google search operators are a vital part of every step of our process — from brainstorming and content creation all the way through outreach.
They help content marketers identify the endless digital clutter to find relevant ideas and receptive audiences. Simply put, Google search operators consist of one or more characters used in search that add more specificity and focus to a query.
Without these parameters, Google pulls a broad swath of what it thinks are relevant pages — but you may only be interested in anchor text containing “guide” on pages with “resources” in the URL and “parents” in the title. Enter: search operators, a content marketing specialist’s bread and butter.
Education is key (it’s why we created 45 lessons on content marketing) — so we’re the first to admit that a tool is only as useful as the marketer wielding it. That’s why it’s important to brush up on all the actionable ways you can use Google search operators to level up your brainstorming, content creation, and link building campaigns.
- Basic Search Operators
- Advanced Search Operators
- Additional Uses for Search Operators
- Spend More Time on Strategy
14 Basic Operators To Get You Started
If you’re new to search operators, you’ll first want to get familiar with the basic building blocks. The following 14 operators search sites, URLs, titles, in-post text, and more. They can be used alone or in combination with one another.
1. site:URL [input]
Sometimes search functions within sites themselves aren’t great. Reddit, for example, is notorious for having a bad search engine. If you’re interested in pulling up all related pages on a site for a specific keyword or topic, your best bet is to use site:URL [input].
Example → site:siegemedia.com “link building”
2. related:URL
You just found the perfect prospect for a link building campaign. You think, there have to be other sites out there just like this one. Related:URL helps you find sites in the same niche.
Example → related:nerdwallet.com
3. cache:URL
To locate Google’s cached version of a site, use cache:URL. This will give you an idea of when the page was last crawled by Google, if your site is being indexed, and if updates to your site have been cached.
Example → cache:containerstore.com
4. inurl:[input]
Use this operator when you want to pull sites with a specific word in the URL. This is useful if you’re to conduct PR in a niche industry or if you want to pull up certain subfolders.
Example → Pampers inurl:pregnancy
5. intitle:[input]
Maybe you only want to locate pages with a specific title, like resource pages or about pages. Use intitle to specify which words you want to see in page titles.
Example → Earnest Loans intitle:“student loans”
6. intext:[input]
Just like intitle, intext lets you locate specific text. This is particularly helpful for locating exact copies of text to find plagiarism, quotes, or other specific copy.
Example → Goldfish intext:“the snack that smiles back”
7. inanchor:[input]
Use inanchor to locate specific keywords within the anchor text. This can help you locate “contact” or “about us” pages. It can also help you locate keyword competitors by searching an important keyword for your business and seeing who else is creating internal links to their site for that keyword.
Example → inanchor:“content marketing”
8. define:[input]
This is Google’s built-in dictionary feature. Use it to retrieve a dictionary-style SERP feature for a word or phrase — quotation marks are not required for multiple-word queries.
Example → define:search engine
9. [input] filetype:[input]
If you want to locate a specific file type such as a PDF or CSV, use the filetype operator. It’s interchangeable with “ext:” as well.
Example → census data filetype:csv
10. “[input]”
If you want Google to pull the exact text you enter, word-for-word, be sure to include quotation marks around your query.
Example → “how to increase website traffic by 250k+ monthly visits”
11. -[input]
Sometimes you want to exclude certain words from a broader content bucket. Use the “-” operator to ensure you’re pulling results with all the words you want — and none that you don’t.
Example → “white hat SEO” -”black hat SEO”
12. [input] OR [input]
This allows you to search for two queries at once. Google will pull all results related to one or both of the keywords. Alternatively, use the pipe symbol: [input] | [input].
Example → “remote work” OR “in office”
13. [input] *
What’s life without a little chaos? The wildcard operator, represented by an asterisk, pulls up multiple variations of your query. The example below pulls up a SERP referencing the benefits of SEO for attorneys, small businesses, e-commerce, and more. This can help you fill knowledge gaps or spark brainstorming inspiration.
Example → benefits of SEO for *
14. AROUND (#)
The AROUND search, also referred to as the proximity search, will find pages with two keywords within a specified number of words of each other. The example below would pull pages where “content” and “marketing” are within three words of each other.
Example → content AROUND (3) marketing
Advanced Search Operators You Should Know
Once you’re familiar with the functional purpose of each search operator, it’s time to put them to practical use. Here are 25 more advanced operators and why you should be using them to level up your search game. These operators assist with:
- Promoting shareable assets: When the content you’re pitching in outreach features a shareable asset — infographic, printable, or otherwise — you’ll have the most luck with bloggers. These operators help you pinpoint blogs within your industry while driving qualified traffic to your site and signaling to Google that the
links are relevant and valuable. - Pitching news outlets: High-authority news placements are notoriously hard to earn. Your content has to be timely, surprising, relevant, emotional, useful, and more just to get the attention of a reporter. Search operators help cut down the time spent searching so you can spend more time crafting personalized pitches and
subject lines that get noticed. - Conducting broken link building: There’s pretty much no better time to use Google search operators than in your broken link building campaigns. Also referred to as
resource page outreach, this strategy involves locating “links” and “resources” pages at scale. These operators are a key step in the process. - Link reclamation opportunities: Link reclamation involves searching for existing brand mentions and reaching out to the publication to ask if they will link back to your site. This drives SEO value for your site and adds value to the reader, allowing them to easily click over to your site to access more information if they’re curious. Searching can be time-intensive, and search operators streamline the process.
With a handle on these operators, your content development process will be much easier.
Search Operators for Research
Use search operators to narrow down search results. These can help you find more relevant and authoritative results
| Search Operator | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 15. site:[url] intitle:[topic] | Find content related to your topic on a specific site | site:siegemedia.com intitle:top-funnel |
| 16. [topic] vs. * | Familiarize yourself with related terms and topics | Microlearning vs. * |
Search Operators for Promoting Shareables
Pinpoint relevant links for shareable assets within your industry with operators that help you find bloggers who are open to shareable assets like infographics or printables.
Try variations like “daily link round up,” “weekly link round up,” “monthly link round up,” “notable blog posts,” “best blog posts,” and “favorite blog posts,” to find more round-up results.
| Search Operator | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 17. [input] inurl:infographic | When you’re researching other infographics in your industry | workplace productivity intitle:infographic inurl:infographic |
| 18. [input] -pinterest | When you want to exclude Pinterest from SERP results when researching lifestyle queries | bachelorette party themes -pinterest |
| 19. intitle:[input] link round up | To find link roundups from other sites within your content’s niche | wellness intitle:round up |
| 20. [topic] inurl:write-for-us | To find guest posting opportunities and pitch your content | workplace productivity inurl:write-for-us |
| 21. [topic] inurl:[audience] inurl:blog | To find a targeted persona within a topical niche | baby food inurl:new-moms inurl:blog |
| 22. “My experience with [topic]” inurl:blog | To find relevant firsthand experience in a specific topic | “My experience with burnout” inurl:blog |
| 23. [industry] coach inurl:blog | When qualifying sites for link outreach and finding SMEs | professional organization coach inurl:blog |
| 24. [input] inurl:printables | When you need to find sites that share printables; can also accompany with “-pinterest” | love coupons intitle:printables inurl:printables -pinterest |
Search Operators for Pitching News Outlets
High-authority news placements are notoriously hard to earn. Search operators help cut down the time spent searching, so you can spend more time crafting personalized pitches and subject lines that get noticed.
Try variations like “data reveals,” or “study reveals,” to find other relevant sources.
| Search Operator | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 25. [city] ranked best city for * | To pinpoint local journalists for hyperlocal city studies | Denver ranked best city for * |
| 26. [topic] inurl:[city name] | To find city-specific publications and authoritative sites regarding health, safety, and commerce | fire safety inurl:pittsburgh |
| 27. [author] [company] (Linkedin.com | facebook.com | x.com) | Finding relevant social media profiles | Larry Page Google (site:facebook.com | site:x.com | site:linkedin.com) |
| 28. intitle:[topic] news round up | Pinpointing easy link placement wins | intitle:election news round up |
| 29. [keyword] intext:”powered by wordpress” | Identifying blogs that don’t have “blog” in their URL structure | eco-friendly hacks intext:”powered by wordpress” |
| 30. [topic] “survey reveals” | To find other studies or surveys by journalists in your field | credit cards “survey reveals” |
Search Operators for Broken Link Building and Link Reclamation
There’s pretty much no better time to use Google search operators than in your broken link building or resource page outreach campaigns. This strategy involves locating “links” and “resources” pages at scale.
Link reclamation can be a similar process and involves searching for existing brand mentions and reaching out to the publication to ask if they will link back to your site. Searching can be time-intensive, and search operators streamline the process.
Try descriptors like “useful,” “helpful,” “recommended,” “interesting,” and “suggested,” to find more links or resources.
| Search Operator | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 31. [input] -.org | Excluding nonprofit organizations from the SERP when searching for a commercial content niche dominated by nonprofits | lung cancer statistics 2025 -.org |
| 32. [input] -.edu | Filtering out high-DA universities when searching content in the education industry | scholarships for minorities -.edu |
| 33. [input] inurl:links | Searching for broken links in a website’s resource pages; pair with the operators above to exclude government, nonprofit, and education pages | child safety inurl:links intitle:links -.org -.gov |
| 34. [input] inurl:resources | Finding resource pages | senior safety inurl:resources intitle:resources -.gov -.org |
| 35. [input] “suggest resource” | “submit resource” | “recommend resource” | Finding resource pages that are open to sharing URLs for broken link building campaigns | veterans “suggest resource” | “submit resource” | “recommend resource” |
| 36. [keyword] inurl:k12 inurl:resources | Discovering resource pages within school websites; for promoting parenting guides, child safety, cybersecurity, etc. | Bullying resources inurl:k12 inurl:resources |
| 37. [title of survey or main findings] -yourURL | Finding unlinked mentions of a study or survey from your client | 43% average amount of air in a bag of chips -kitchencabinetkings.com |
| 38. “[definition]” -yourURL | Searching for sites that used your original definition verbatim without linking you as the information source | “Link building is the process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites around the web.” -siegemedia.com |
| 39. [input] -.gov | Excluding government sites from the SERP to vet social proof and link potential | travel safety guide -.gov |
Beyond Outreach: 3 Additional Uses for Search Operators
While search operators are essential for efficient outreach, their utility doesn’t stop there. From content creators to technical SEOs, search operators have a place in everyone’s workflow.
Find Internal Links
If you’re searching for content to internally link in your article, simply conduct a site: search containing relevant keywords. So if you weres writing a piece on working from home for Business Insider, you could search site:businessinsider.com “standing desk” to find a tangentially related piece you could link to in your post.
Locate Duplicate Content
If you suspect duplicate content on your site, Google search operators can help you locate it. Simply combine site:[your URL] and intext:[suspected duplicate content] to locate pages with repeated copy.
Determine Indexed Pages
Conducting a site: search will let you see which pages on your site have been indexed by Google. To take this a step further, you can search for pages within folders as well as subdomains. So if you want to see which mint.com pages are indexed, you could search for site:mint.com/how-it-works or site:blog.mint.com.
Less Time Searching = More Time Strategizing
When used strategically, Google search operators can reduce the time you spend searching — freeing you to focus on prospecting, pitching, and personalizing. We love getting granular with search to inform valuable content strategy and ensure high-quality, relevant links that deliver real results.
