Google Filters, Do You Know What They Are?
Google search has certain commands that you can include with your search query, which allow you to “filter” their search engine results, which can help you get somewhat of a better idea of areas you might want to improve upon to help your blog rank better.
These of course are not 100% perfect but the information they do tell you is directly from Google and it is very worthwhile in our opinion.
These filters are…
- allintitle:”keyword phrase”
- allinanchor:”keyword phrase”
- allintext:”keyword phrase”
- allinurl:”keyword phrase”
IMPORTANT –> Do NOT copy and paste the filters from this page… the quotes are “smart quotes” because of the WordPress blog editor and will not give you the right results if you paste them as is into Google. Make sure the quotes are “like this”.
Here is how each one works and how you can use them to your advantage.
1. allintitle:”keyword phrase”
This filter allows you to determine where your blog ranks in Google’s results compared to the other blogs and sites that have the keyword in the title of the page. The title is <title></title> in the source code of the page.
Why is this important?
If your blog was ranked 10th in Google for the keyword but 4th for the “allintitle”, you would know that overall your title was good in Google’s eyes and there are other reasons your blog might not be ranking higher than 10th.
If however your blog was ranked 10th in Google but nowhere to be found for the allintitle, then you would know that your title needs definite improvement. You would then look at the top results and compare your title to theirs, watching for keyword density.
IMPORTANT –> You want your title to draw the attention of the visitor… not just the search engine. Try to make your title around 8 to 10 words with the keyword in the beginning. Only mention the keyword phrase one and make sure you treat the title like the headline of a classified ad.
2. allinanchor:”keyword phrase”
This filter allows you to determine where your blog ranks compared to the other sites and blogs in Googles results, which are using that keyword phrase in their incoming links anchor text.
Why is this important?
If your site was ranked 10th in Google for the keyword but 4th for the “allinanchor”, you would know that overall your keyword link popularity for that term is good. That means that out of all Google’s results, in regards to people linking to you with that keyword in the anchor text, Google thinks your blog is doing well.
If however, your blog was ranked 10th in Google but nowhere to be found for the allinanchor, then you would know that you need to pick up your sites link building campaign focused on that exact keyword phrase.
3. allintext:”keyword phrase”
This filter allows you to see where your blog ranks in Google’s eyes compared to the other blogs and sites in their index that have this keyword in their body text.
Why is this important?
If your site was ranked 10th in Google for the keyword but 4th for the “allintext”, you would know that overall your keyword percentage or frequency for that term was good in Googles eyes.
If your site was ranked 10th in Google but nowhere to be found for the “allintext”, then you would know that you need to fix your keyword density (frequency). The best thing to do here is analyze the top 5 results of the “allintext” and try to match thier density.
4. allinurl:”keyword phrase”
This filter allows you to determine where your blog ranks in Google’s eyes compared to the other blogs and sites in their index that have this keyword in the URL. Obviously there is not a lot that can be tweaked here and this test shows that the domain is important but the full file name is almost as important. Sometimes the page file name with a dashed keyword (such as www.domain.com/keyword-here.html) will rank better then a domain with the keyword directly on it (www.keyword.com).
Why is this important?
If your site was ranked 10th in Google for the keyword but 4th for the “allinurl”, you would know that overall your url and / or file name for that term was good.
If your site was ranked 10th in Google but nowhere to be found for the “allinurl”, then you may want to just leave it (bet you did not expect us to say that 
) . You could of course set up a 301 redirect with a better file name but in all honesty just try hard to get the keyword in the domain file name right away and you will be ok.
Note: If you test this you will see that Google seems to like the dashes in the file names. So if your keyword is “GPS Tracking Device” and if this page you are checking is not the index page you should make the page file name…
“www.domain.com/gps-tracking-device.html”
Hope you found this post useful… let me know your thoughts and if there are other Google tricks that you like to use.
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great post, very informative and helpful unlike some money making blogs.
Will be subscribing.
James
Hey, you should be careful about using those filters. If you click past page three or so while using them, sometimes Google will ban you from using the search function at all for a little while. It’s happened to be several times.
P.S. I sent you an email about that cover thing. I hope you got it. If you didn’t, can you send me one? I’m down for it!
Great post and more important good solid info.
This information is very useful, thanks for sharing!
Mr. Javos last blog post..6 Useful Tips To Build Relationships With Your Readers
Oh, nice post. Answered some questions I was wondering about.
More such example will help the beginners
yup.. nice post and more of it will be nice too
Thanks, because I see it everyday but I never mind it. But now it is normal because I now I know it.
Madhav Tripathis last blog post..Twist with tinyurl.com
Hey Cow, one SEO question: with the allinanchor query, my site turns #1 for my main keyword but with a normal search I don’t turn up anywhere (my site is currently in the sandbox). Is there any chance that it’d land on the first page of my targeted keyword after it gets out of the sandbox?
Great info John
Thanks for the info! I learn more & more every day from you. This is great stuff; for newbies (like me) and pros alike.
I just read a similar article about the same system where the visitor can rank
the blog
Alex Filippis last blog post..Unconventional marketing weapon
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