What SEO tools do you use? While you’ve probably heard of commercial SEO tools like Semrush, you might not be aware of the Google site search operator, a versatile SEO tool that can be used to perform a variety of SEO tasks.
What Is The Site Search Operator?
Google supports a number of search operators. A search operator is simply a feature of Google’s search engine that alters how organic listings are returned. The site search operator—the primary search operator for this article—is intended to return organic listings from a specific website or URL.
To use the site search operator, enter “site:” followed by a website or URL (for example, “site:example.com” or “site:example.com/store/product-name” into the Google search bar. When using the site search operator, using quotes is optional. Using quotes, on the other hand, can help you get more accurate results by searching for the exact phrase you’re looking for within a specific website or domain.
Here are seven ways businesses can use Google’s site search operator for SEO:
Check The Indexing Status Of A Page
Google does not immediately index new pages. A new page may take a week or more to appear in Google’s index. In the meantime, you can use the site search operator to see if the page is being indexed.
Using the site search operator to find the page’s URL will usually reveal whether or not it is indexed. If the page has been indexed, you should see an organic listing for it in the search results, but this isn’t always guaranteed.
See If A Page Ranks For A Keyword
Do you want to know if a specific page on your website ranks for a specific keyword? You can use the site search operator instead of performing a standard search for the keyword and sifting through organic results.
“site:[website URL][keyword]” is the syntax to use. This will display all of the pages on a particular website that contains the keyword you are looking for. For instance, if the page “example.com/page” ranks for the keyword “healthy recipes,” the search query would be site:example.com/page healthy recipes.
See If Your Website Ranks For A Keyword
You can also use the site search operator to see if your website ranks for a specific keyword. It is the same as checking to see if a page ranks for a specific keyword. The only difference is that it includes the address of your website rather than the URL of a page.
Trying to find site:example.com The search term “cybersecurity software” will reveal whether your website ranks for the keyword “cybersecurity software.” Google will return all of your website’s indexed organic listings that rank for “cybersecurity software.”
Audit Website For User-Generated Spam
User-generated spam consists of comments, reviews, messages, or other forms of content created by users on your website for the purpose of spamming.
If you believe your website has been targeted with user-generated spam, you can use the site search operator to look for it. Simply run a site search query for your entire website, including a spam keyword.
When users create spam content, they may use words like “payday loan” or “online casino” to promote the products or services they want to promote. These are the names of spam keywords. You can use the site search operator to locate pages on your website that contain user-generated spam containing these keywords. You can clean up any indexed pages that contain user-generated spam.
Troubleshoot Prefix-Related Indexing Problems
To troubleshoot prefix-related indexing issues, use the site search operator. Your website could have multiple prefixes, such as www, http, and https.
If you recently installed an SSL certificate, you should check to see if Google has indexed the https version of your website. This includes pages with the https prefix in their URLs. Use the site search operator while formatting your website with the https prefix, such as “site:https://example.com,” to see if Google has indexed them.
A site search query without a prefix returns all versions of your website, making it difficult to troubleshoot indexing issues involving a specific prefix.
Combine With Other Search Operators
Many digital marketers are unaware that the site search operator can be combined with other search operators. For example, if you wanted to find blog posts on the website “example.com” that have the phrase “social media” in their URL and were published within the last month, you would use the search query: http://example.com/blog/”social media” after:2022-02-14. You would use the following search query to find PDF files on the website “example.com” that contain the phrase “annual report” in their URL: inurl:example.com filetype:pdf “annual report.”
Check Competitors’ Sites
You can use the site search operator on your competitors’ websites in addition to your own. Enter the URL of a competitor’s website or page to see if it has been indexed by Google.
Google Site Search is one of several search operators available. Its purpose is to limit Google’s organic results to listings from a specific website or URL. The site search operator can be used to perform SEO tasks such as checking the indexing status page, determining whether a page or website ranks for a keyword, auditing for user-generated spam, and more.
