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What are Search Operators?

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The Search Operatorsor search operators, are specific commands that can be used in a search engine to refine and improve your search results.

They are essential for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), in particular for competitive analysis, researching topical issues and prospecting links.

In this article, we will explain what Search Operators are and present 10 tips for using them effectively in SEO.

Understanding search operators

Search operators are characters or keywords that can be used to refine search results according to specific criteria. They help to eliminate irrelevant information and focus your search on the elements that are most relevant to your objective. Among the most commonly used search engines, Google is probably the one that offers the largest number of operators, each with a specific role.

Examples of common search operators

•  " "  Inverted commas are used to search for an exact expression.
• AND The AND (or &) operator combines two terms and returns results containing both terms.
• OR The OR (or |) operator returns results containing one or both terms.
• – The minus sign excludes a term from the search results.
• * The asterisk is used as a wildcard and can represent any word in a query.

Search operators in SEO

When it comes to natural referencing, search operators are invaluable tools that can make your job easier. Here are 10 tips for using them to good effect in your SEO activities.

1. Analysing the competition

Use the site : tracking the URL of a competitor site to find out the number of pages indexed by Google and determine where your own site stands in relation to the competition. For example:

site :example.com

2. Search for inbound links

Use link : to identify sites that link to you (backlinks). This information is crucial for assessing the quality of the links you obtain and developing your linking strategy:

link :votresite.com

3. Identify duplicate content

Look for specific phrases with inverted commas (" ) to find out if your content is being copied by other sites without authorisation:

"exact phrase of your content

4. Link prospecting

Use the operators title : and intext : to identify relevant sites likely to give you a link. For example, if you create content on SEO :

intitle : "seo" intext : "ressources"

5. Search for guest-blogging opportunities

To find sites that accept guest posts, combine several operators such as inurl :, title : and your keyword :

inurl :write-for-us intitle :SEO

6. Check that your pages are indexed

The operator info : allows you to check that your site is indexed by Google, by displaying information such as the title, meta-description and URL canonical of the page :

info :votresite.com

7. Examine the results for a specific country

With the operator countrycode :You can restrict your searches to sites hosted in a particular country. This tip is useful for targeting specific markets:

site :example.com countrycode :en

8. Find specific documents

By combining the filetype : with a file extension (.pdf, .docx, etc.), you can find reference documents related to your sector of activity:

your_keyword filetype :pdf

9. Keep up to date with news in your field

The operator daterange : allows you to limit your search to results published in a specific period. It is very useful for monitoring news and trends in your sector:

seo daterange :2021-01-01..2021-12-31

10. Advanced search with Google Search Console

Finally, don't forget that Google Search Console also offers advanced features linked to search operators. You can track the evolution of your keywords, analyse backlinks, check the indexing of your pages and much more.

The Search Operators are therefore an invaluable arsenal for natural referencing. Don't hesitate to integrate them into your SEO strategy to optimise your searches and increase your efficiency tenfold in terms of analysis, prospecting and marketing. competitive intelligence.