Google Search Operators

Master these operators to find link opportunities, spy on competitors, and research niches.

Basic Operators

Operator	Function	Example
"..."	Exact match phrase	"best coffee maker"
-	Exclude word	coffee -starbucks
OR	Either term	coffee OR tea
*	Wildcard	best * for camping
( )	Group terms	(buy OR purchase) coffee

Site Operators

Operator	Function	Example
site:	Search within site	site:reddit.com coffee
-site:	Exclude site	best coffee -site:amazon.com
related:	Find similar sites	related:nytimes.com
cache:	View cached version	cache:example.com

Content Operators

Operator	Function	Example
intitle:	Word in title	intitle:review coffee
allintitle:	All words in title	allintitle:best coffee maker
inurl:	Word in URL	inurl:review
allinurl:	All words in URL	allinurl:best coffee
intext:	Word in body text	intext:"according to"
filetype:	Specific file type	filetype:pdf coffee guide

Date Operators

Operator	Function	Example
before:	Before date	coffee before:2023-01-01
after:	After date	coffee after:2024-01-01

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SEO Use Cases

Finding Guest Post Opportunities

"write for us" + [your niche]
"guest post" + [your niche]
"guest author" + [your niche]
"contributor guidelines" + [your niche]
"become a contributor" + [your niche]
"submit an article" + [your niche]
"accepting guest posts" + [your niche]
inurl:guest-post + [your niche]
inurl:write-for-us + [your niche]

Finding Link Insertion Opportunities

# Outdated content (needs updating)
site:targetsite.com intitle:2021
site:targetsite.com intitle:2022
site:targetsite.com intitle:2023

# Resource pages
"resources" + [your niche] + inurl:resources
"useful links" + [your niche]
"recommended sites" + [your niche]

Competitor Research

# Find all competitor content
site:competitor.com

# Find competitor's guest posts
"author name" -site:competitor.com

# Find who links to competitor
link:competitor.com (deprecated but try)

# Find competitor mentions
"competitor name" -site:competitor.com

Finding Broken Link Opportunities

# Combine with Ahrefs 404 filter
site:targetsite.com inurl:[known broken URL slug]

Finding HARO/Quote Opportunities

# Journalists looking for sources
"looking for sources" + [your niche]
"seeking expert" + [your niche]
"need quotes" + [your niche]

Finding Review/Mention Opportunities

# Sites that review products in your niche
intitle:review + [product type]
"we tested" + [product type]
"hands-on" + [product type]

# Sites that mention competitors but not you
"competitor name" -site:yoursite.com -site:competitor.com

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Advanced Combinations

Find Resource Pages in Niche

[niche] + inurl:resources OR inurl:links
[niche] + "useful resources" OR "helpful links"

Find Outdated Competitor Content

site:competitor.com + (intitle:2021 OR intitle:2022)
site:competitor.com + "last updated" + (2021 OR 2022)

Find Roundup Post Opportunities

"best [niche] blogs" OR "top [niche] websites"
"[niche] blogs to follow"
"best [niche] resources"

Find Forum/Community Opportunities

[niche] + (forum OR community OR discussion)
[niche] + site:reddit.com
[niche] + site:quora.com

Find Infographic Opportunities

[niche] + infographic
[niche] + "submit infographic"
[niche] + inurl:infographic

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Quick Reference Card

+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                    COMMON SEARCH PATTERNS                           |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                     |
|  GUEST POSTS                                                        |
|  "write for us" + niche                                             |
|  "guest post guidelines" + niche                                    |
|                                                                     |
|  LINK BUILDING                                                      |
|  site:target.com intitle:2022                                       |
|  niche + inurl:resources                                            |
|                                                                     |
|  COMPETITOR ANALYSIS                                                |
|  site:competitor.com                                                |
|  "competitor" -site:competitor.com                                  |
|                                                                     |
|  CONTENT IDEAS                                                      |
|  niche + site:reddit.com                                            |
|  niche + site:quora.com                                             |
|  niche + "how to"                                                   |
|                                                                     |
|  PR/MEDIA                                                           |
|  niche + "press release"                                            |
|  niche + site:prnewswire.com                                        |
|                                                                     |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+

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Ahrefs Content Explorer Operators

Operator	Function
by:	Author search
title:	Title contains
site:	From domain
-site:	Exclude domain

Example: by:"Matt Diggity" -site:diggitymarketing.com

Find everywhere an author has published guest posts.

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Tips

Operator Tips

• Combine operators for powerful searches
• Use quotes for exact phrases
• Use - to filter out irrelevant results
• Save your best searches for reuse
• Check operator still works (Google deprecates some)

Limitations

• Some operators don't work in all countries
• Results can vary by browser/account
• Google may limit excessive searches
• Some operators are deprecated (like link:)