But even searching a word or a phrase within one website can be difficult if there is no specific search functionality.
Luckily, many search engines, such as Google, are equipped with some more advanced search functionality that allow you to quickly search a site even without visiting the website.
We’ll show you how to search a single domain for different keywords or phrases.
Why You May Want To Search A Site?
There are a number of different reasons why you may want to search a specific website for an individual word.
Here are some of the most common situations.
Information Updates
If you changed certain information for your business, such as your email address or telephone number, then you need to make sure that your website is updated.
You can then search your site for the old business email or telephone number, and amend the individual page.
Copyright Infringement
If you believe that a competitor or another business is using your intellectual property, then a quick search on their website can give you some clarity.
Rebranding
If you are changing the branding of your website, then it’s likely that you will change a lot more than just some information but with a site search you will be able to find the old brand name or tag line.
Internal Links
Sometimes you may want to link to a new page or blog post, then you can search for the anchor on the website.
Search Efficiency
If the website doesn’t have any search functionality, then you can save a lot of time by searching the site through some of the methods we will mention below.
References
If you are after specific data in scientific articles, research or even statistics, then a site search will show any references.
How To Search Within A Specific Website?
There are a number of different ways how you can search within a website. Here are a few options.
Website Search Bar
One of the easiest ways to search in a website is to visit the site and find the search bar. The majority of websites do have a search bar.
Some may be a little more hidden, but it’s worthwhile trying to find it. Most search bars are near the top as in form of a bar or an icon.
Although this is the best way to search the site, it isn’t always accurate because it depends on how the site search is configured on the specific website.
Most website searches only do a basic search of pages or blog posts. This means that certain keywords may not be picked up.
If you find that your target site does not have a search bar, then you will need use any of the other keyword search methods.
Site: Search Command
Search engines come with a built-in browser search tool which allows you to use the command “site:search” to look for a specific keyword on one website.
In order to do this you just need to open your browser. Go to the search and make sure that you have clicked on it.
First, type in the domain that you want to search, then add “:” followed by your search keyword or phrase. Don’t leave any spaces, and then hit enter.
You can even use dates or locations to make the search more specific. This type of search works with all main search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and Bing.
You can even search for file formats, such as PDFs, with the “filetype:search” command.
If you are looking for a specific URL with a certain search term, then you can use the command “inurl:search”.
This way allows you to search a website without visiting the site.
CTRL + F Command With Search And Find
If you want an even quicker way to search then you need to visit the website, hit the keys CTRL + F (or Command + F), and you can then search for your key phrase or word.
The search bar will then show you different page results. When you click on a result, it will be highlighted in the main body of the text.
However, this is just a basic site search which doesn’t allow any more advanced searches, such as looking up the most used keyword on a site.
Best Practices When Searching Keywords Within A Website
If you are trying to do a word search as part of your SEO business strategy, then there are a few things you will need to keep in mind.
Start Your Search Wide And Narrow Down
One of the best ways to search for keywords is to start with a wide search term, and then narrow it down bit by bit.
This means you are a lot less likely to miss any keywords that you may be able to use for writing blog posts or other content.
Make Search Accessible
This is a good practice for any website owners, especially when they run an ecommerce site.
Search is an absolute must-have for ecommerce because most visitors will simply type what they are looking for in the search bar.
In order for your ecommerce search to be effective, it is important that you categorize your content correctly. This will make search results as accurate as possible.
Most websites run their search functionality with a plugin. These search plugins often offer autocorrect or autocomplete options which speed up the search for any visitors to your website.
Business owners with small businesses should also be aware that the language they use on their website needs to appeal to their target audience.
If you use the right tone of voice that attracts your customers, then you will naturally use any keywords that your visitors may be searching for.
Conclusion
Searching for a word or phrase in a website is relatively quick and easy, as long as website owners make sure that they use the correct keywords for their audience.
Hi, my name is Justin Shaw, I started my career with a Masters in Computer Science but found writing to be my forte'.
I'm now the Principal Tech writer for GshiftLabs.com as well as a few other well known publications. I help make the complex world of Tech-Jargon easy to understand.
