Google advanced search operators are special commands or symbols that you can use to refine your search queries and get more accurate and specific search results. These operators can help you narrow your search to a specific website, exclude certain terms from your search results, search for exact phrases, search for results within a particular date range, and much more.

5 commonly used Google advanced search operators

site:
This operator allows you to search for results from a specific website or domain. For example, if you want to search for results from the Wikipedia website, you can use the operator “site:wikipedia.org”.

intitle:
This operator searches for web pages that contain your keywords in the title of the page. For example, if you want to search for pages that have the word “apple” in the title, you can use the operator “intitle:apple”.

inurl:
This operator searches for web pages that contain your keywords in the URL of the page. For example, if you want to search for pages that have the word “technology” in the URL, you can use the operator “inurl:technology”.

filetype:
This operator searches for files of a specific type, such as PDFs or images. For example, if you want to search for PDF files that contain information about computers, you can use the operator “filetype:pdf computers”.

related:
This operator searches for pages that are related to a specific website. For example, if you want to find websites that are similar to the BBC website, you can use the operator “related:bbc.co.uk”.

A detailed list of Google advanced search commands

Search operatorPurpose Practical example
“ ”Search for results that mention a word or phrase.“bill gates”
ORSearch for results related to X or Y. car or bike
|Same as OR:car | bike
ANDSearch for results related to X and Y. car and bike
Search for results that don’t mention a word or phrase.car -tesla
*Wildcard matching any word or phrase.car * colour
( )Group multiple searches.(truck or car) ford
define:Search for the definition of a word or phrase. define:gearbox
cache:Find the most recent cache of a webpage.cache:ford.com
filetype:Search for particular types of files (e.g., PDF).user manual filetype:pdf
ext: Same as filetype:user manual ext:pdf
site:Search for results from a particular website.site:ford.com
related:Search for sites related to a given domain.related:ford.com
intitle:Search for pages with a particular word in the title tag.intitle:transmission
allintitle:Search for pages with multiple words in the title tag. allintitle:gearbox transmission
inurl:Search for pages with a particular word in the URL. inurl:gearbox
allinurl:Search for pages with multiple words in the URL. allinurl:gearbox oil
intext:Search for pages with a particular word in their content.intext:changing gearbox oil
allintext:Search for pages with multiple words in their content.allintext:changing gearbox oil
weather:Search for the weather in a location. weather:london
stocks:Search for stock information for a ticker.stocks:ford
map:Force Google to show map results.maps:hyde park
movie:Search for information about a movie.movie:top gun
inConvert one unit to another.$123 in GBP
source:Search for results from a particular source in Google News.ford source:autocar
before:Search for results from before a particular date.ford before:2010-01-01
after:Search for results from after a particular date.ford after:2010-01-01

Keep reading

David Hodder - Google Advanced Search Operators
Categories: Web Development