Google: The Link Operator No Longer Works

Jan 12, 2017 - 8:42 am 11 by

Google Link Operator

Yesterday, we covered that Google's John Mueller said not to use the link operator. This comes a year or so after Google said the link operator is not dead yet. Well, now it is dead.

A Google spokesperson confirmed with me that the link operator no longer works. So doing a link:www.domain.com may return something but the results are completely wrong and off.

John Mueller of Google also said this on Twitter last night saying "things change over time," "AFAIK that's no longer live in search."

So those of you holding on to using one of the oldest link tools for SEOs, well, stop using it if you haven't done so years and years ago - like many others have already done.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: April 18, 2025

Apr 18, 2025 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Ruled A Monopoly Again, Heated Volatility, Google ccTLD Change, Ads Safety Report & AI Overviews

Apr 18, 2025 - 8:01 am
Google

Google Made Search Much Faster - But How Much Faster?

Apr 18, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google Ads

New Google Merchant Center Popular Products Report

Apr 18, 2025 - 7:41 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google: No Positive SEO Effect From .esports Domain

Apr 18, 2025 - 7:31 am
Google Ads

Google Ads PMax Age Exclusions Rolling Out

Apr 18, 2025 - 7:21 am
Previous Story: January 2017 Google Webmaster Report