To find articles on a particular website with Google, start with site:example.com followed immediately by relevant topic words. Add quotation marks, a minus sign, date operators, or filetype: when you need to narrow the results. These searches can help you discover pages, but they do not provide a complete inventory of a site.
Search a website for a topic
Enter site:, the domain, and one or more words describing the article you want. For example:
site:example.com climate policy
This asks Google to show relevant results from that domain. You can also target a URL or URL prefix, such as a section of a site:
site:https://www.example.com/health/ vaccines
Put the domain or URL directly after site: with no space. Google documents domain, URL, and URL-prefix targeting in its site search operator guidance.
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Refine results with other operators
Combine site: with other Google search refinements when you know more about the article you need. Each targets a different part of the query.
| What you want to refine | How to write it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| An exact phrase | Put the phrase in quotation marks. | site:example.com "annual report" |
| An unwanted term | Put a minus sign directly before the term to exclude. | site:example.com recipes -video |
| A date range | Use after: and before: around the dates you want. |
site:example.com climate after:2024-01-01 before:2025-01-01 |
| A particular file type | Add filetype: followed by the format. |
site:example.com research filetype:pdf |
Google Search Help documents these refinements, including quotes for exact phrases, exclusions, date filters, and file types, in Refine Google searches. A date filter narrows what Google returns; it does not independently verify that a page is current.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Understand what a site search can—and cannot—find
A site: query is a discovery aid, not a guaranteed list of everything published at a domain or URL prefix. Google says the operator may return indexed URLs without showing all matching URLs. A query containing only site:example.com also does not meaningfully rank the site’s pages; beyond the shortest URL, results are generally random. Add topic words that describe the article you are looking for.
If you maintain the website and need to determine whether a specific page can be indexed, a search-operator result is not definitive. Google Search Central says, “Because search operators are bound by indexing and retrieval limits, the URL Inspection tool in Search Console is more reliable for debugging purposes.” Use Google’s overview of search operators for that distinction and Search Console’s URL Inspection tool to investigate a specific URL.
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