Google advanced search: what it is, what it is for, most useful commands

Every second, billions of queries are launched on Google and just as much content competes for our attention. A problem then arises, because what comes up in search results is not always really what we are looking for. This is where Google’s advanced search comes in , a tool that few people are fully familiar with, but which can transform the way we find (and use) information. With specific commands and powerful filters, we can refine searches, reduce noise and get straight to the point, turning any generic query into a targeted search , perfect for discovering useful content, identifying SEO opportunities or analyzing competitors. Imagine we want to unearth all the pages on a site that talk about a particular topic, or limit the search to only PDF files on SEO: perhaps we are interested in knowing who copied one of our content or quickly locating all documents published before a specific date. With normal search, these goals would take time, patience, and, in many cases, would not be fully met. But by using advanced techniques and manual search operators , those same goals become not only achievable, but also extremely simple. In this guide, we explore how mastering advanced search can make a difference for anyone who wants to achieve more accurate and high-performing results , revealing tools and techniques that will revolutionize the way we search, understand, and act online.

What is Google advanced search

Google advanced search is a set of tools and techniques that allows us to refine and optimize queries on the search engine, enabling us to get more precise and relevant results than a simple text search.

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This advanced approach is particularly useful when typing generic keywords into the search bar is not enough to locate the information we need.

With advanced search we can communicate with Google in a more structured and sophisticated way, taking advantage of both manual search operators, and the filters and options offered by the page dedicated to advanced search. Each function is designed to meet specific needs, such as finding an exact phrase, excluding certain results, narrowing the search to a specific site, or analyzing recently updated content. This customization capability is essential both for personal reasons and for professional purposes related to SEO and web marketing.

Using Google is no longer simply a matter of entering a phrase and waiting for the algorithms to do their work and present us with a SERP with classic results. With these techniques it becomes an active process, almost a dialogue with the search engine, where we provide more precise clues about what we want to find. Google, with its artificial intelligence and sophisticated algorithms, interprets these clues and returns us targeted results. This not only saves us time, but also increases the effectiveness of our searches, whether we are looking for a scientific article, a specific tutorial or market data for our competitive analysis.

A definition of advanced search

Google’s advanced search differs markedly from the standard approach, which is characterized by the use of simple text strings or keywords. In its essence, “advanced search” means using resources that improve the accuracy of our results: tools that allow us to refine the search engine’s answers, making them as close as possible to our intentions.

These resources fall into two main categories. The first includes manual search operators, special commands that we can type directly into the search bar to filter or enrich results. For example, by typing site: we can perform a search limited to a specific domain, while by adding quotes we get only pages that contain an exact phrase, and thanks to the intitle: operator we can focus on pages that contain a specific keyword in their title.

The second category is represented by the page dedicated to Advanced Search (available at google.com/advanced_search). This GUI simplifies access to filters, allowing parameters such as language, file type, time period, or geographic location to be set without having to memorize specific commands. It is a particularly useful option for those who want more detailed results without necessarily resorting to special syntax.

Through these modes, Google acts as a true ally in finding accurate information, allowing anyone to move from simple generic search to using more advanced analysis tools.

What are Google advanced search operators

Google’s advanced search operators are tools designed to perform complex, targeted queries quickly and effectively. They are not just useful for “searching better” as much as they are for querying Google in a logical way, giving us control over search results.

Each operator functions as a rule that filters or enriches results as needed. The crucial point is that these commands do not require additional software or complex interfaces: we simply enter them directly into the Google search bar.

This set of commands, symbols and special characters forms a syntax designed to precisely communicate to the search engine what we want to find, narrowing or enlarging the field of results based on certain criteria.

Advanced operators extend the capabilities of normal text searches and function as a true language built for the search engine, proving extremely useful for those who need targeted results.

Each command offers a specific function to refine or filter the answers.The logic behind operators is very similar to that of an advanced database query system, and in particular code languages such as SQL use operators to retrieve information from databases. With tools of this type, it is possible to find information that would otherwise be in danger of getting lost among thousands of seemingly relevant results. Thus, the key difference from normal search lies in precision: operators solve precise problems (such as content coverage, duplication, SEO audits) that would not be addressable with standard keywords.

What advanced operators are good for

The real potential of advanced search operators lies in their ability to turn Google into an analysis and strategy tool. This is especially relevant for those involved in SEO, digital marketing, or specialized search, because precision and personalization are crucial to making more informed decisions, responding to advanced needs in real time.

For example, the inurl operator : can be leveraged to discover pages that contain specific URLs, useful for locating “guest post” pages or articles related to one’s industry. At the same time, the filetype command: allows you to filter results by file format, ideal for those looking for PDFs, Word documents or PowerPoint presentations on specific topics.

But that’s not all. Suppose we want to monitor changes in a site’s content: thanks to the before: and after: operators, we can narrow the search to a specific time frame, analyzing what has changed after a relevant update or event. Or we can discover duplicate content by searching for an exact phrase in quotes, ensuring that our work is not copied or replicated without permission.

Search operators can be useful for anything, in fact, from content research to technical SEO audits, and more specifically they can be used to find backlinks, check page optimization, identify sources for a blog post, track all PDFs on the site or simply see a site’s cache or find out if pages are actually indexed.

Using Google search operators can then help us get detailed information about SEO opportunities and some optimization points that we might not have identified otherwise. They allow us to make strategic moves based on reliable data, without wasting time on irrelevant results.

Where to use advanced search: not just Google

The versatility of Google’s advanced search is evident in the wide range of contexts in which it can be applied, far beyond the classic web content search engine.

• Traditional Web. This is the place of choice for SEO analysis and generic search. With operators such as site: and intitle: we can analyze bulk content or monitor the quality of a domain’s indexing.
• Google Images. Advanced search expands to visual content as well. Commands such as imagesize:, combined with filters by keyword or domain, allow us to find images of specific size, color or format. This is a key tool for those working in visual design or content marketing.
• Google News. For journalists and marketers, operators such as source: allow them to quickly monitor articles published by specific news outlets on well-defined topics.
• Platforms such as YouTube or Google Books. Here, controls for filtering content by duration, format, or time period customization amplify the potential of search, allowing one to find a long-form video or a series of scholarly papers on a topic.

But the utility of search operators and advanced search techniques is not confined only to the Google ecosystem. In fact, much of the logic behind the use of operators can also be applied on other platforms and digital tools, expanding opportunities to retrieve specific data and obtain targeted results in different contexts. Notably, other search engines and online databases support similar tools, and from Bing to Yahoo to industry-specific search engines such as PubMed for medical research or JSTOR for academic publications, the ability to refine searches is universal. Even within social platforms such as X or LinkedIn we can use search operators to find specific posts or profiles.

One of the most relevant applications relates to alternative search engines, such as Bing and DuckDuckGo, which support many of the most popular commands such as site: or filetype:. These engines sometimes prove useful for exploring areas of search that are less competitive or subject to different dynamics than Google’s, providing complementary context for those in specific industries. In particular, Bing makes it possible to replicate familiar advanced search logic, but with a different target audience, proving particularly strategic in certain geographic markets-not to mention the relationship between Bing and SearchGPT.

Another interesting area of use is social media, where advanced search can become an important ally for content monitoring. On X, for example, it is possible to filter results by user or topic, analyzing content published during specific periods or that includes targeted keywords. This approach proves invaluable for studying trends, identifying relevant conversations or preparing engagement strategies. LinkedIn, while not supporting specific operators such as site: or intitle:, offers the ability to perform advanced searches using Boolean filters, which follow a similar operational logic. Reddit, too, is among the contexts where the combined use of advanced searches makes it possible to identify valuable thematic discussions, useful for both tracking opinions and gathering ideas based on niches of interest.

Also widespread is the use of advanced search in academic and scientific fields, where publication databases such as PubMed or Google Scholar allow for refining searches based on temporal, authorial, or thematic criteria. For example, by using Google Scholar’s temporal filters, it is possible to isolate articles published within a specific time frame, making it easier to browse up-to-date resources on the latest scientific findings. On platforms such as JSTOR or other scholarly repositories, advanced search becomes indispensable for locating essays or publications relevant to particularly specific topics, providing a reference point for those working in the world of historical, literary or cultural research.

Corporate storage and internal collaboration tools such as Google Drive or Dropbox also benefit from the advanced search approach. Filtering internal documents by format or keyword using the equivalent functionality of the filetype: or intitle: commands saves time and optimizes analysis of archived resources. For example, a logical combination of queries can help quickly locate strategic reports or marketing documents within articulated business systems.

On the technical front, support forums or communities such as Stack Overflow demonstrate how useful advanced search can be in identifying relevant answers to complex problems. Using operators such as site: to restrict results to a specific platform or forum allows solutions to be narrowed down to answers from accredited sources. This approach greatly amplifies efficiency, especially for those working in the world of programming or technology, where accuracy and speed in searches are a key value.

Finally, the ability to integrate advanced operators with monitoring systems, such as Google Alerts, composes an additional piece in the strategic use of these techniques. This approach makes it possible to trigger automatic notifications that flag new content related to a specific topic or published by a specific domain, transforming advanced search from a reactive tool to a proactive monitoring element.

Why Google advanced search is useful for SEO and digital marketing

In SEO work and digital marketing strategies, access to refined data is key to making more informed decisions and building effective campaigns. As we have already anticipated, Google’s advanced search offers the ability to go beyond the limits of a simple query, allowing you to pinpoint precisely the information you need to improve online performance. With tools to filter and organize results, we can gain insights that would otherwise remain hidden among thousands of generic or insignificant elements.

When we analyze a site to optimize its visibility, advanced search allows us to discover, for example, which pages are properly indexed and which might need strategic interventions. This type of investigation becomes critical to detect technical errors, identify duplicate or underperforming content, and ensure that resources are designed for maximum impact on SERPs.

Similarly, for digital marketing activities, this precision translates into the ability to map the strategies used by competitors. Through custom queries, we can analyze which keywords drive their campaigns, which content attracts the most attention, and which formats manage to convert most effectively. Not only does this help us better understand the market, but it also gives us insights to anticipate trends or occupy spaces that are still uncrowded.

The flexibility of advanced research, then, is not just a technical matter, but translates into a genuine enhancement of our strategic approach. Every result interpreted, every data extrapolated becomes a lever to build more targeted actions, elevating the value of our digital presence and the quality of the work done.

How advanced search works: two main tools

Google’s advanced search represents the evolution of classic text search, offering tools that allow us to customize queries for more precise and targeted results. Within this category we find two main tools that make this search a versatile tool for both beginners and web professionals: manual search operators and the page dedicated to advanced search.

Each of these tools has distinct features and advantages, but their common goal is to optimize time and improve the quality of the information we can get from Google.

Google’s page dedicated to advanced search

For those who prefer a more intuitive interface than manual operators, Google provides a page entirely dedicated to Advanced Search. This resource is a great starting point for those new to query refinement and provides access to advanced features without having to remember command syntax.

By accessing the Advanced Search page (google.com/advanced_search), we find a number of predefined fields that make the customization process simple and straightforward. We can, for example, specify:

• mandatory words that must be present in the results;
• exact phrases, similar to the operator in quotes;
• terms to be excluded, to avoid irrelevant results;
• numeric ranges for searches that include value ranges.

In addition to these basic parameters, the page offers additional filters that are very useful for professional purposes:

• language and geographic area, to limit results to content published in a given region or written in a specific language;
• last updated, which allows you to find pages that have been modified within a given time frame;
• file type, ideal for those looking for specific formats such as PDF, DOC, or PPT;
• usage properties, which allows you to find content with particular licenses, such as reusable images.

An additional convenience of advanced search is the ability to focus on specific segments of the web, such as a specific site or domain (.edu, .org, etc.), which can be extremely useful for those working with academic sources or specific organizations.

The real value of this feature lies in combining multiple parameters to precisely explore data and content that might otherwise go unnoticed: conscious use not only expands our search potential, but allows us to maximize the efficiency of our online analysis.

Google advanced search, how to do it

And so, we have a whole range of solutions to use when we need to refine a search and narrow the results for complex searches, such as finding foreign language sites that have been updated in the last 24 hours or large gif images.

This feature is precisely called “Advanced Google Search” and it offers additional selection options over the classic filters available in the search bar, as seen in the image below.

To reach the page and discover these search options, we need to click on the Settings wheel located to the right of the search bar (with query entered) and select the item in the menu that leads to a page like the one shown above-whose generic address is this https://www.google.com/advanced_search.

As mentioned, through that system we can first narrow down the results found by the algorithm for the query we are interested in by selecting words or phrases to include or remove from the results from the options:

• “All these words”, which provides results using all the words entered.
• “This exact word or phrase, ” where results include an exact word or phrase entered.
• “Any of these words, ” where results include at least one of the words used.
• “None of these words, ” where results include none of the words entered.
• “Numbers from”, which provides results that include a number between the two numbers given.

Regarding web pages and files, Google Advanced Search allows you to take action on the following filters:

• Language, to find pages in a specific language.
• Geographic area , for pages published in a specific geographic area.
• Last Updated, to limit results to pages updated in the selected period.
• Site or domain, to search within a site such as wikipedia.org or, alternatively, limit results to a domain, such as .edu, .org or .gov.
• Terms that appear, which finds pages containing search terms in a specific part of the page, such as the title, text, or URL.
• SafeSearch, which removes explicit results according to Google’s SafeSearch system .
• File Type, which allows you to locate files in a specific format, such as .pdf, .ps, .dwf, .kml, .kmz, .xls, .ppt, .doc, .rtf, or .swf.
• Rights of Use, which shows pages with which license information is associated.

In addition to classic web pages and file types, Google’s advanced search is also active on specific content, such as images (to launch Google Images searches), videos (with specific commands and filters) and books, as Google’s guide clarifies .

In this case, the address to set up the search is google.com/advanced_image_search, and from here we can take action on some parameters related to the query (“Find images of…”), and in particular:

• Include exact words or a list of words in the results.
• Remove words from the results.
• Enter the words we want to include or remove from the results.

As for filters to limit the results, on the other hand, we have at our disposal:

• Image Size, to locate images based on size or dimensions.
• Proportions, to find images that have a specific shape, such as tall, square, wide or panoramic images.
• Colors in Image, to search only for color, black and white or transparent images, or alternatively images with a specific color.
• Image Type, to find a specific type of image such as photos, clip art or drawings, or alternatively search for faces or animated images.
• Geographic area, to find images published in a specific geographic area.
• Site or Domain, to search a site such as sfmoma.org or, alternatively, limit results to a domain such as .edu, .org, or .gov.
• SafeSearch, to remove explicit results according to Google’s SafeSearch.
• File Type, to locate images in a specific format, such as JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, SVG, WEBP, ICO or RAW.
• Usage Rights, to find images with which license information is associated.

Using manual search operators

Manual search operators are commands and symbols that we can introduce directly into the Google search bar to refine our queries. They are a simple but very powerful language that can narrow the field of results, providing exactly what we need. This approach is particularly effective when we have specific needs: finding certain files, analyzing the content of a site, or even spying on competitors’ SEO strategies.

For example, one of the most well-known operators is the site: command. By typing in the search bar site:example.com we can get a list of all the pages of a given website indexed by Google. This allows us to check the indexing status of our site or that of a competitor, as well as quickly identify any gaps in content or SEO problems.

Here is another practical case: if we wanted to search only for PDFs on a specific site, we could combine two operators such as site:example.com filetype:pdf. Google would immediately return us a list of PDF files on that domain.

Not only that, there are operators for every need. We can search for exact phrases (enclosing them in quotation marks), exclude words from the results (using hyphen –), or find results that contain certain keywords in the title (intitle:) or body text (intext:). With manual operators, each query becomes a powerful tool for analysis and insight.

Using these operators requires knowledge and practice, but once mastered, they allow us to interact with Google in a precise and refined way, optimizing the quality of the information we use for strategic decisions.

Advanced search operators: comprehensive guide to the most useful ones

In short, advanced search operators are the most powerful tool for interacting with Google in a targeted and effective way. These commands, which can be used directly in the search bar, allow us to narrow or expand results based on specific criteria.

Let us therefore explore the main commands, categorizing them by functionality and explaining their practical uses for both personal and professional needs.

• Operators for sites and domains

Operators related to sites and domains are ideal for focusing searches on specific platforms, gaining insight into specific sites, and identifying related content.

1. site: This is one of the most well-known and widely used operators. It allows us to limit results to a specific domain or subdomain. All we have to do is type site:domain.co.ukinto Google, without using spaces between the symbol or word and the search term (therefore, the command site:site.co.uk is not valid) or prefix http:// or https:// (while instead the presence of www or without depends on the site settings). For example, by typing site :www.seozoom.it we can display all the indexed pages of the SEOZoom site on Google. Moreover, if at a basic level this function allows us to discover all the correctly indexed pages of the site, by entering a keyword we have access to much more interesting and useful data for SEO. We can thus find out if (and how much) indexed content the site has for a specific keyword and what kind of coverage it has devoted to a topic, and thus skim with a simple click all the content on a site and get an idea of both its editorial strategy, and any content holes. It is therefore an indispensable tool for checking indexing status or analyzing the presence of content on precise topics associated with a domain
2. related: This operator was used to discover sites similar to the one specified, showing thematically or structurally related alternatives. For example, related :example.com generated a list of sites related to “example.com.” However, it is important to note that this command is deprecated and no longer active, as Google has chosen to remove it.
3. inurl: Useful for filtering results based on specific words in the URL. By entering inurl:blog, Google will show all pages whose URL contains the term “blog”. This is convenient for identifying thematic segments of a site or searching for common URL structures, such as pages devoted to guest posts.
4. allinurl: A more precise variant of inurl. This operator returns only results that contain all the terms specified in the URL. For example, allinurl:marketing digital includes any page where both of these words occur simultaneously in the URL.
5. Cache:Typing cache:in front of the site address could display the most recent version of a site stored in Google’s cache, a useful feature for finding articles that were temporarily unreachable or deleted. This command was deprecated after Google‘s decision to remove cache links from its SERPs.

• Optimize textual searches

Textual operators allow us to locate results where keywords appear in specific positions, such as in titles or in the body of the text. We can also use these commands in combination with other operators to further refine the investigation.

1. intitle: Allows us to search for pages that contain a specific term in the title. For example, intitle :SEO techniques returns only pages whose title includes the word “techniques” or “SEO.” This command is particularly useful for evaluating the competitiveness of a keyword in article and content titles.
2. allintitle: Similar to intitle, but more stringent. It requires that all terms entered in the query be present in the title. For example, allintitle:seo strategy 2024 produces results that include all those terms in the title. It is a great way to test the combined use of multiple keywords in specific titles.
3. intext: It is used to find pages that contain a specific keyword in any part of the content. For example, intext:SEO strategies will show pages with this expression in the body of the text. It is very useful for identifying articles or insights centered on the same topic.
4. allintext: Variant of intext that filters the results by showing only pages where all the specified terms are found in the content. For example, allintext:content marketing trends is useful for finding posts that deal entirely with those concepts, making the search more focused.
5. inanchor: Search for pages that receive backlinks with a specific anchor text. This operator is useful for analyzing how a site is linked to from external sources and identifying link building opportunities or clickable text issues. For example, inanchor: “digital marketing” shows all pages that receive links using “digital marketing” as anchor text.
6. allinanchor: Refines the search from the previous command. It makes sense when we wish to get results that include all the given words in the anchor text. For example, allinanchor: “SEO strategies 2025” returns only pages that receive links with all three terms (“strategies,” “SEO,” and “2024”) in the anchor text.
7. around (X): Restricts results to pages where two specified terms appear within a maximum distance of X words from each other (replacing the X with the number we have in mind). This operator is particularly useful for identifying content where the searched concepts are closely related. For example, SEO around(3) strategies returns results in which “SEO” and “strategies” are separated by a maximum of three words. Although this is a rarely used command, it can be useful when searching for quotes, phrases, or references that you do not precisely remember.

• Operators for specific dates and content

These operators allow us to handle time variables and filter content based on specific formats.

1. before: When we are looking for content published before a certain date, we can use this operator. For example, seo before:2023-01-01 will return SEO-related results prior to January 1, 2023. It is extremely useful for doing historical research, monitoring outdated content or analyzing past trends.
2. after: With this operator, we can restrict results to content indexed after a specific date. For example, seo strategies after:2023-06-01 will show pages published after that date. It is particularly effective for staying up-to-date on recent news and developments.
3. filetype: This command allows us to filter the search for specific file formats, such as PDF, PPT, DOC or others. If we enter seo filetype:pdf, Google will return a list of PDF documents related to SEO. It can be combined with other operators, such as site:, to search for files hosted on a specific domain.
4. source: Restricts Google News results to articles published by a specific source. This operator makes it possible to focus analysis on particular newspapers, blogs, or news sites, which is useful for monitoring coverage of a topic by particular news outlets. For example, source:nytimes.com “green technologies” returns articles from the New York Times that deal with green technologies.

• Refine queries with combinations

As mentioned, the operators can also be used in combination, expanding the search possibilities for more flexible and refined results.

1. OR / | (pipe key, vertical bar): This operator allows you to combine multiple options in the same query, getting results that satisfy the first search term OR the second. Simply add OR in uppercase between the search terms (keyword1 OR keyword2): for example, SEO OR digital marketing will show results that talk about SEO or digital marketing, amplifying the scope of the search. As an alternative to OR, we can use the vertical bar symbol (| pipe), i.e., the key that in the classic QWERTY keyboard is located next to 1.
2. “” (quotation marks): There is a big difference between searching Google for a word simply entered in the slash and enclosing it in double quotation marks instead: as the screenshot below shows, one only has to look at the number of results to see this immediately. By enclosing a phrase in classic quotation marks “” (“how to do guest posting”), Google will return only pages that contain exactly that sequence of words, i.e., the only results that present an exact match of the terms entered, reporting in the text the key phrase we are interested in mentioned exactly as we wrote it(without any variation). It is useful, for example, to identify duplicate content or specific citations.
3. – (minus hyphen ): With the horizontal hyphen (mathematical minus sign -) we can exclude results that contain a specific term or series of words. For example, optimization -seo will show only pages related to optimization, but will exclude those that mention SEO.
4. * (asterisk): The asterisk serves as a wildcard, placeholder for any term in the query. For example, strategies * marketing will return results with various combinations that include “strategies” and “marketing,” such as “digital marketing strategies” or “operational marketing strategies.” If we are not interested in an exact query, but instead intend to find broader phrases, new ideas, or keyword variants, with the asterisk we then get results with any search term in addition to those typed.

Advanced search, Google’s recommended commands

The Google Search system supports several search operators that “we can use to refine or target our searches; some of these tools can also be useful for debugging the website,”, explains Google’s official documentation, which gives us an overview of the search operators suggested by the search engine.

For example, “the site: command can be useful for monitoring spam comments on the Web site, and the imagesize: image search operator can be useful for finding small images on the site.”

There is an important disclaimer, however: these search operators are constrained by indexingand retrieval limits (indexing and retrieval is the expression used in the original), and so for more reliable debugging it is recommended to use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console.

The other point worth mentioning is that the search results of Google operators are not tied to the normal ranking algorithm, and the index used is limited and out of date.

Therefore, we cannot use them to try to find out anything about how Google’s algorithm evaluates the site: there has always been a random quality in all search operators, which are therefore unreliable in terms of completeness, especially for trying to discover ranking factors or algorithms.

Despite these limitations, however, search operators provide useful information that we can exploit for purposes related to search engine optimization.

The 4 search operators reported by Google

The paper specifically focuses on 5 advanced search operators:

• site:

The search operator site: allows us to find search results from a particular domain, URL or URL prefix. For example, site:https://www.google.com/ narrows the search to results indexed in Google.com.

It does not show all pages, as Google’s warning makes clear, but only a sample sample of indexed pages, because this operator does not use Google’s normal ranking algorithm.

• filetype:

The advanced search operator finds search results in a specific file type as defined by the HTTP content-type header or file extension. For example, we can search for RTF files and URLs ending in .rtf whose contents have the term “galway,” as in the example filetype:rtf galway.

• src:

The src: search operator works only on Google Images and finds pages that reference a particular image URL in the src attribute, such as src:https://www.example.com/images/peanut-butter.png.

This command returns pages from any domain, not just the domain of the specified URL, and can be useful for knowing which images we host on the site are linked from other sites.

• imagesize:

The search operator imagesize: works only on Google Images and allows us to find pages that contain images of a specific size, as in the example imagesize:1200×800.

The accepted format for the search is width x height in pixels (width x height).

This command can be useful in combination with src: and site: and allows us, for example, to find an image of a certain size that has been indexed on our site – as in the example

src:https://example.com/media/carrot.jpg imagesize:500×1200

or to find indexed images of the exact size – as in the example

site:https://example.com/ imagesize:500×1200

There is also a limitation for the latter two image-specific search operators, which are constrained by indexing and retrieval limits and thus may not show all the results that might instead be displayed for a standard search query.

Deprecated commands: what they are and why Google has removed them

As seen, in recent years Google has progressively deprecated some advanced search operators that in the past were also valuable tools for targeted analysis and SEO activities. This decision is partly due to the evolution of the platform, which introduced new approaches to improve the user experience, but also to the infrequency with which certain commands were used. Other operators, on the other hand, stopped working properly because of the long gap between their initial development and the most recent changes to indexing algorithms.

The last farewell, in chronological order, we bid farewell to cache:, permanently removed from Search in September 2024 and somehow replaced by a referral to the Wayback Machine: in this case, Google thought that today’s technology is much more advanced than that of the Internet of yesteryear, when instead people could frequently run into problems loading a page and the cache command helped retrieve archived versions.

Another historical operator that is no longer active is related:, which allowed people to locate similar or related sites at a given URL. This command was particularly useful for comparative analysis, but this function was removed because it was limited in results, often inaccurate and, most importantly, little used by users.

Technically speaking, Google determined the correlation of URLs by comparing multiple factors, such as the entities mentioned on the page and the general category of the page. In practice, then, this search operator seemed to reveal which other sites Google identified as related to the searched site, and from an SEO perspective it could be useful in revealing whether there was something wrong with the relevance of the content, particularly if Google was showing as related sites that had very little to do with the source site. However, there were well-known limitations associated with its use-the first and most relevant one: the command did not always work for all sites-that later convinced Google to deprecate it permanently. Still on the subject of now obsolete warnings (which apply, however, in the case of use on other search engines, possibly), if searching with this command returned anabsence of URLs displayed for queries this “is not an indicator of the quality of your pages, nor any other search signal,” the guide said. URL correlation was being ingatti generally calculated only for the most popular URLs on the Internet and, in addition, the data feeding this operator was not updated in real time, so recent popular URLs might not have been displayed in the results. As a further clarification, the related operator: “is not a good tool for debugging specific URLs,” Google already explained to us.

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Similar fate also for the link: command, which until 2017 was used to discover pages that included backlinks to a given domain. In its simplicity, it was a popular tool for SEO experts to quickly analyze a competitor’s link network.

Finally, it is worth mentioning other lesser-known operators such as info:, which provided general information about a specific web page, and + ( mathematical plus sign), which forced the presence of certain words in the results: both have been abandoned, probably due to their perceived lesser usefulness in today’s modern search environment.

Advanced search and SEO: simple tactics to improve strategies

Now that we know the list of Google’s advanced search operators, we can take advantage of them toaccess exactly what we are looking for and waste less time searching.

In particular, these commands can help us to quickly perform 6 SEO tactics and tasks that will help our strategy of gaining visibility on Google.

1. Spy on competitors’ content strategy

A first practical and useful option is to leverage Google’s advanced search operators to conduct basic competitor analysis : nothing like the depth of competitor analysis of tools such as SEOZoom, but nonetheless the information thus obtained can prove valuable.

Specifically, the use of advanced search operators gives us a handy way to spy on competitors’content strategy, simply by combining the site: command with the date range filter (for days, months or custom time periods) found in Google’s advanced tools.

For example, as Aditya Sheth explains on Search Engine Watch, we can focus on Piktochart site content production , limiting the search to only blog-related results by entering the /blog subdomain as the url instead of the general website.

The first information obtained is that there are 790 indexed pages of their blog, but by using the tool to set a specific range of giving we can further analyze these results and identify what content they have published in the last month alone, thus gaining insight into Piktochart’s content strategy and the keywords to which it is targeting its attention.

If we then include an exact-match keyword (i.e., in quotes), this analysis becomes even more in-depth, as in the example on the focus on “content marketing,” which allows us to find out how much content Piktochart has published on a given topic and thus intuit their topic cluster strategy.

Ultimately, the combined use of Google site advanced search operators : plus “” plus time filters allows us to get information on:

• How much content a competitor site has published to date.
• How often it publishes new content in a given time period.
• What type of content it publishes in a given interval.
• How many times the competitor has written on a given topic/keyword.

2. Discovering guest posting opportunities

Guest posting continues to be a common solution to increase site authority and get quality traffic, collect valuable backlinks, and rank better on Google (obviously without “miracles” or prohibited techniques).

Google’s advanced search operators offer several ways to discover guest blogging opportunities in our niche or industry through the use of certain targeted advanced search queries.

For example, we can use a number of formulas (obviously to be declined into Italian for our purposes):

• Keyword of primary site interest plus “guest post opportunities” (e.g., SEO “guest post opportunities”)
• Keyword plus “guest post”
• Keyword plus “submit guest post”
• Keyword plus “submit blog post”
• Keyword plus intitle: “write for us”
• Keyword plus intitle: “guest post guidelines”

3. Missed opportunities for internal linking

Internal linking plays a small but important role in the ranking factors that determine Google rankings, as well as being a way to improve the user’s browsing experience.

Regardless of how well-designed and easy-to-navigate our site may be, organizing a great internal linking structure can make all the difference in directing traffic from one post to another throughout your blog, while at the same time creating topic relevance by creating supporting content for the main domain topics.

Advanced Google search with the site operator : allows us to find topics related to a keyword that we can link to in other content or, conversely, allows us to find occurrences where we have mentioned the keyword in the new article in the past, which we can then add to create a good link structure.

4. Identifying duplicate content on the site

Duplicate content is defined as content that appears in more than one position within a website or multiple sites; this technical error-frequent for blogs with thousands of pages or e-commerce sites with the same product descriptions-can confuse search engines when it comes to deciding which page to rank higher, creating the problem known as cannibalization.

To provide an example of duplicate content, the article linked earlier shows the effects of searching for a short copy of the Apple Airpods product description from the Walmart site, entered into the search bar using the site: operator to investigate the exact match. It emerges that the same piece of text appears on six other Walmart pages, a less than ideal scenario.

Worse, however, is the next discovery, made by running the analysis no longer on the individual site but on the entire Web (using the – command to exclude Walmart): there are in fact about 19 thousand websites that use the same expression, thus creating duplicate content.

5. Recovering lost content opportunities

Another trick involves the use of the advanced search operator filetype:, which can help find non-HTML content on your site, such as Word documents or PDF files, that are not optimized for search (e.g., Analytics does not show and calculate the traffic these files generate) and that should never be the only version of the content (but an alternative, printable and downloadable version of the HTML content).

6. Using dates for strategic updates

One of the best ways to ensure that a site’s content remains competitive is to track trends and regularly update the resources offered. Operators such as before: and after: are perfect for monitoring the evolution of topics and identifying relevant content published during certain periods.

For example, we can use after: to search for news related to a specific keyword. By typing SEO strategies after:2023-01-01 we get content created after early 2023, staying up to date with the latest industry trends. In contrast, the before: operator can help us collect historical content, facilitating retrospective analyses of a topic’s transformations and how it has been treated over time.

By combining both commands, we can define a precise time range, such as in the case of SEO trends before:2023-12-31 after:2022-01-01, to focus on content published exactly in the given time frame. This approach is especially useful when we want to understand how a competitor has handled a topic over time or when we are evaluating our content for updates.

Learn how to master your Google search

Knowing what to search for and how to search for it with the help of Google’s advanced search operators will help us harness the true power of Google and, not least, grow our site.

Google advanced search is not just a fun skill we can learn to use in our spare time, but a real SEO tool that can help us discover opportunities hidden in plain sight and be more effective in our work, to tinker with Google’s algorithms (the right word is tinkering) and stay on top of the latest search trends.