The Google “site” operator won’t show you everything that is indexed

In a recent podcast, Google’s Search Relations team discussed the limited functionality of the “site:” operator. Specifically, the team engaged in an insightful conversation about this tool, often used by website owners and SEO professionals to check a site’s indexing status.

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However, the team emphasized that Google Search Console offers much more comprehensive indexing data, while the operator provides only a high-level overview.

Limitations of the ‘Site’ Operator

The “site:” operator, which allows you to search for pages on a specific website, does not provide a complete list of indexed pages. Gary Illyes, a member of the Google Search Relations team, addressed this issue head-on, stating: “No, the site thing shows me some of the pages that are indexed.” Illyes explained that it is not feasible for Google to provide users with an exhaustive list of every indexed page.

Use Cases for the “Site” Operator

Although the “site:” operator may not serve as a comprehensive indexing check, the team highlighted several useful purposes for the tool. It can be utilized to monitor spammy keywords or content, such as “buy Viagra in Timbuktan casinos without a prescription,” as humorously illustrated by Illyes. The operator is also helpful for finding localized versions of pages or checking image indexing, which is valuable for sites hosting user-generated content.

“On our search documentation site, developers.google.com/search, I sometimes use it to find some of the localized versions of individual pages…” Illyes said. “Checking for images… like in image search or the Images tab, you can use it to see what kind of images we have indexed, because sometimes that can also get quite unpleasant.”

While the discussion was at times lighthearted, the team delivered a sobering final message: Google Search Console is vastly superior to the “site:” operator for accurately diagnosing and addressing indexing issues.