THATBlog

So, today I wanted to talk a little bit about Google Search Operators. A lot of people don’t realize that some serious search engine optimization work can be done right in that silly little Google search bar. Now, first I want to quickly give the “official” definition: Google Search Operators are search functions that you can add to a query to search for a specific set of information. Ok, that wasn’t the official definition, but it’ll do for now.

Well, we know what Google Search Operators are, but how-the-H1-tag (haha) do we use them for search engine optimization benefits?

The idea is that you can use them bring back specific information. So, I’m going to give you an example here and explain the benefit (but I’m sure you’ll be able to see it as we go along).

Now, let’s say that you’re doing some inbound link building for your website (which you better be doing if you want Google to throw you some love) and you think to yourself, “Gosh, I sure wish I could get some .EDU links. I know how much Google loves .EDU links, and I want Google to love me.” Well, thanks to Google Search Operators, they’ve “handed out the stick to their own piñata.”

I want you to do a little test with this and tell me if it doesn’t work for you.

Go over to www.Google.com and copy/paste this into the search bar (obviously replacing the word, “keyword” with your actual keyword):

site:.edu inurl:blog “post a comment” - "keyword"

OMG! Look at how many opportunities just showed up for you to get links from .EDU domains. Now, I do realize that some of these links might be tagged with a “nofollow,” but they will all help you (I know from experience). If you need help on how to actually get links from these pages, just make a comment on this post and let me know.

One thing I want you to keep in mind when using these types of inbound link building methods is to avoid getting to “spammy” and covering every site with your links. Keep it limited to one per page and be a responsible link builder.

A talented and experienced SEO named Dori Friend put together a nice “cheat sheet” on the subject of Google Search Operators. Here’s the link to check it out: http://www.dorifriend.com/GoogleQueryTerms.pdf.

I hope you found this helpful in your SEO education.

Talk soon,
Tommy