What are search operators?
Search operators are commands you type into Google's search box to filter results: site:example.com limits results to one site, filetype:pdf to one kind of file. They were designed for searchers, but site owners use them constantly for quick checks.
Google's own documentation adds a caution: operators are bound by indexing and retrieval limits, so the URL Inspection tool in Search Console is more reliable for debugging. Use operators for a fast look, and Search Console when the answer matters.
Operators Google documents for site owners
| Operator | What it finds | Example |
|---|---|---|
site: | Results from a domain, URL or URL prefix | site:example.com/recipes/ |
filetype: | A file type, by content type or extension | filetype:pdf site:example.com |
imagesize: | Images of a given size (Google Images only) | imagesize:1200x800 |
src: | Pages using a specific image URL (Google Images only) | src:https://example.com/logo.png |
Other operators exist and come and go. The old cache: operator, for example, was retired in 2024 along with Google's cached page links.
What site: can and can't tell you
A site: search shows URLs that are indexed and serving, but Google says the list isn't always complete, and big sites shouldn't expect to see every URL. Without a search term, results aren't ranked; the shortest URL tends to appear first and the rest are in no meaningful order. Also, site:https://www.example.com and site:https://example.com/ return different results.
So don't read the result count as your index size. Search Console's Pages report shows how many URLs Google has indexed.
Quick checks worth running
site:example.com casinoor other spam words, to spot hacked pages or comment spam.site:staging.example.com, to confirm a staging site isn't indexed.site:example.com/tag/, to see how many thin archive pages are indexed; see index bloat.site:example.com/some-page/ lemon, to see whether a page is indexed for a term.filetype:pdf site:example.com, to find forgotten PDFs in the index.
Common questions
Does site: show every indexed page?
No. Google says site: results aren't always exhaustive. Use Search Console's Pages report for index counts.
Is there still a cache: operator?
No. Google retired cached page links and the cache: operator in 2024.
What is the best way to check if one page is indexed?
Use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console. A site: search for the exact URL is a quick but less reliable alternative.