Google treats a wildcard * as a placeholder for one or more words. Although rarely used, this search operator offers a goldmine of great opportunities. This short SEO tip will showcase how you can use Google’s wildcard operator to search for backlink opportunities and link baiting inspiration:
Link Building Wildcard Search Queries:
One of the first things you do when starting a link building campaign is adding your link to relevant resources that accept link submissions. In this case your search for these sites will look like this:
- keyword “add url” / keyword “add site” / keyword “add website” / keyword “submit url”
Unfortunately with the above searches, you’ll miss very good link opportunities by restricting your search from pages offering to “add relevant site” or to “submit keyword site, etc. To include all possible variations into your search use wildcard operator:
- keyword “submit * url”
- keyword “submit * site”
- keyword “submit * website”
- keyword “suggest * url”
- keyword “suggest site”
- keyword “suggest * website”
- keyword “add * url”
- keyword “add * site”
- keyword “add * website”
- keyword “* related URLs”
The great thing about a wildcard is that it can be substituted by any number of words giving you thus a wider scope of results returned. For example, ["* related URLs"] search will return phrases containing “submit related URLs”, “list your related URLs”, “add related URLs”, etc.
You can go even further and use other advanced search operators for even more results; consider intitle: operator for example:
- keyword intitle:”submit * url”
- keyword intitle:”submit *site”
- keyword intitle:”submit * website”
- keyword intitle:”suggest * url”
- keyword intitle:”suggest site”
- keyword intitle:”suggest * website”
Link Baiting Wildcard Search Queries:
When we are stuck for post ideas or need to brainstorm some linkbaiting content, we often search Google for inspiration. The only problem is to guess what to search for - as we are yet unsure what we are trying to find. In this case, let Google decide what we want.
Try often-used Digg-style phrases in combination with wildcard and advanced date search:
Get even more creative and look for quiz-related bait (hat tip to SEOmoz.org):
I hope this tip will help you get more creative and brainstorm for new sneaky ways to search Google. By the way, why not share them here?
RT @seosmarty: Hey! Share your tips: How to Use Google Wildcard Operator for Link Building and Baiting http://tinyurl.com/cqmpbc
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RT @seosmarty: Hey! Share your tips: How to Use Google Wildcard Operator for Link Building and Baiting http://tinyurl.com/cqmpbc
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Hey! Share your tips: How to Use Google Wildcard Operator for Link Building and Baiting http://tinyurl.com/cqmpbc
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DailySEOTip: “How to Use Google Wildcard Operator for Link Building & Baiting” http://is.gd/jJDI RT @seosmarty
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Nice tip Ann. Bookmarked straight into my folder for advanced query operators (along with loads of your other posts from SEJ).
The site looks like it’s going really well so far. Keep up the great work.
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Wow. Thanks Ann.
This was excellent.
This blog is becomming one of my favorite sites!!
Thanks again.
-Arvell
@gebedo
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Great tips , smart out of the box thinking - simple but effective.
Link building has to be the SEO tasks I dislike the most this will help to make things more efficient.
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I just thinking about ways to find related site for backlinking purposes and now stumble upon your post. What a great coincidence! Thanks for the tips, Ann!
AmirulFaisyal’s last incredible blog post..Mini Gathering IEM
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Great creativity, Ann. I had never thought of that approach, given that it was very hit-and-miss. With your tip, you can really cover a host of possibilities. Thanks.
Barry Welford’s last incredible blog post..Pensions Information Google May Not Show You
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Great approach. Makes a long process a lot more palatable. First time finding your blog, but have bookmarked it and I’ll be back!
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Those are great tips for potential links, thank you very much, I found so interesting the tip for quiz baiting: “how many * can you”. I think it can be very useful
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Excellent tips. I never thought that wildcards from my programming lessons can make appearance at Google too.
This will surely make life easier for me.
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Thanks, guys. I am happy it turned useful.
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mihai Reply:
February 20th, 2009 at 7:22 am
Hy.
I love you blog :).
But i’m a little n00b and I don’t understand how to use this post.
I used to search in google? how. I wait for your reply on mail please mihai@webdevtricks.com
Thanks a lot and keep it up
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Smart Tips. Something i was looking for…came across some other good posts but this one is rocking! Keep writing.
Thanks
Shannon
Shannon’s last incredible blog post..Google Japan Gets PageRank Penalty
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Hi, I have tried this technique and it has helped me a lot. Thanks for sharing this. Even I have also found some more information here (http://www.searchenginejournal.com/wildcard-search-when-and-how-to-use-it/7246/). I can assure you one thing and that is very soon you can expect some PR too for your blog. Because you are sharing quality + informative information. Thank you.
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Very effective tips. Thanks for sharing.
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I was just looking for that stuff…….Thanks alot and i bookmarked it too
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I’ve just spent the last 30minutes using this technique with some of my keywords. It is definitely worth it, once I sifted through the garbage i found some relevant sites i had not previously found.
Thanks again for the tip. (slowly working my way through your archives :))
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Hi! Ann.. I am glad that your also writing for this website. I am happy to see your new post about link building and baiting.
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Thanks for sharing this. Even I have also found some more information here (http://www.searchenginejournal.com/wildcard-search-when-and-how-to-use-it/7246/). I can assure you one thing and that is very soon you can expect some PR too for your blog. Because you are sharing quality + informative information. Thank you.
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Very helpful tips. Thanks for information about Wildcard Search queries with example.
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Anna,
Nice to know that your also posting here to help website owners. We really appreciate your effort.
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Will the wildcard work if appended to a word? Like will pre* dating also give results for pre-teen dating and pre-adult dating?
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Ann Smarty Reply:
September 8th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Google’s wildcard only substitutes words (not part of the words). However in your example it may work as Google treats hyphenated words as something between one word and two separate words.
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Thanks for your excellent posting! Would you be so kind to explain the difference between searching for “* related URLs” and “related URLs”? Shouldn’t both of them return the same results? They don’t, but I’m not sure why…
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hmmm.. something that i really want to learn. Thanks for sharing!
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confused.com :/
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Ann Smarty you are great,it realy help me to find the right link for linkbuilding
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Whats the use ?
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