Short answer: Google search operators are short commands you type in the search box to narrow the results. For your own website, the most useful is site:, which shows results from one domain or URL prefix and helps you see whether a page is indexed. Google adds that Search Console’s URL Inspection tool is more reliable for checking a page.
What Google search operators are
Google says you can use special operators in your search to narrow your results in specific ways. You type them straight into the search box, with no space between the operator and your search term.
A search for site:nytimes.com works, but the same search with a space after the colon doesn’t.
The operators you’ll use most
| Operator | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| site: | Shows results from one site, domain or URL prefix | site:example.com |
| filetype: | Finds a particular file type | filetype:pdf |
| Minus - | Leaves out results with a word | jaguar speed -car |
Our summary of Google Search Help, read November 6, 2026.
Google also lists quotes around a word or phrase to search for an exact match, and before: and after: to find documents last updated before or after a year or a specific date, such as after:2026/03/10. To get an email when a search like that finds something new, our guide to Google Alerts shows how.
Checking your own site with site:
Google Search Central describes site: as a way to request results from a particular domain, URL or URL prefix, and says it is available on all Google Search properties. For a site owner it can return a list of indexed and serving URLs.
Add a word after the domain to see which of your URLs can show up for that term. Search for one full address with site: to see whether that specific URL is indexed and served.
Google also suggests site: with spam words to spot and monitor spam problems on your site, such as comment spam.
What site: won’t tell you
Google says the site: operator was designed mainly for search users, so it has limits for site owners. It doesn’t necessarily return every indexed URL under the prefix, and bigger sites shouldn’t expect to see all of theirs.
A site: search without any other words doesn’t rank the results; it generally shows the shortest URL first, and the rest is relatively random. If a URL doesn’t show up, Google points you to the URL Inspection tool to check that it can be indexed and to request indexing.
How to check a page with search operators
- Open Google and type site: followed by your domain, with no space after the colon.
- Look through the URLs that come back, knowing the list can be incomplete.
- Add a word after the domain to see which pages can show up for it.
- Search for one full page address with site: to check that page alone.
- Put a phrase from the page in quotes to find where that exact text appears.
- Use the minus sign to leave out results with a word you don’t want.
- Open the URL Inspection tool in Search Console for any page that doesn’t show up.
Before you trust a site: search
- There is no space between the operator and the domain.
- You wrote the address the way your site uses it, with or without www.
- You know the list may not include every indexed page.
- You know a bare site: search isn’t ranked.
- You checked missing pages in the URL Inspection tool.
- You used site: with spam words to look for spam on your site.
RememberOperators narrow a search; they don’t audit your site. Use site: for a quick look, and Search Console for the answer you act on.
Our guide to the URL Inspection tool shows how to read its report, and our Google Search Console guide covers the rest of the account. If a page is new, our guide to getting your website on Google explains how it gets found.
When pages don’t make it into Google, our technical SEO service finds where they stop, fixes the cause and checks that Google picked up the fix. Write to us on WhatsApp or through the form.
Quick answers about Google search operators
How do I see which pages of my site Google has indexed?
A search for site: followed by your domain returns a list of indexed and serving URLs. Google warns the list isn’t always complete, so use Search Console’s URL Inspection tool when you need a reliable answer.
Why does site: show fewer pages than my site has?
Google says the site: operator doesn’t necessarily return every indexed URL under the prefix, and bigger sites shouldn’t expect to see all of them. A more specific prefix may bring up more results.
Why doesn’t a search operator work when I type it?
Google says not to put spaces between the operator and the search term. A search for site:nytimes.com works, but the same search with a space after the colon doesn’t.
Are the results of a site: search ranked?
Not when the search has no other words. Google says it generally shows the shortest URL for the prefix at the top, and otherwise the results are relatively random.
Can I find pages updated before or after a date?
Yes. Google’s help lists before: and after: in front of a year or a specific date, for example after:2026/03/10. You can combine both to search within a date range.
Sources
All read on November 6, 2026. Google Search Help: Refine Google searches. Google Search Central: Debugging with Google Search Operators. How To Use the Site Search Operator.