Search like you mean it

Search operators let you narrow huge result sets into something more useful than "the internet."

Core operators

• site: limits results to a domain.
• filetype: helps surface documents and exports.
• intitle: and inurl: narrow structural hints.
• Quoted strings keep your search engine from getting "creative."

Practical query recipes

Document discovery

• site:example.com filetype:pdf "annual report"
• site:example.com filetype:xlsx budget

Credential and exposure hunting

• site:example.com intitle:"index of"
• site:example.com inurl:admin
• site:example.com "confidential"

Person and role validation

• "Full Name" site:linkedin.com
• "Full Name" company name
• "email@example.com"

Query hygiene

1. Start broad.
2. Remove obvious noise.
3. Add one operator at a time.
4. Keep a note of the combinations that actually worked.

Tactical advice

Build queries iteratively. Start broad, inspect the noise, then tighten. If your first query looks like a legally binding contract, you have skipped a step.