Google is removing support for the related search operator, a special search command where Google can tell you which other websites are related to another site. Danny Sullivan, Google’s Search Link, confirmed it will be gone, saying it “hasn’t been working as well for a while, as in some cases, the information was out of date.”
What is the related search operator. The related search operator allowed you to type in the Google search box, for example [related:https://www.google.com/] and Google would return related websites to that URL. Google’s old help documentation said: “Google determines the relationship of URLs by comparing various factors, such as the entities mentioned on the page and the overall category of the page.”
he leaves Danny Sullivan, the Google Search Link, confirmed that it will continue Twittersaying, “It hasn’t really worked that well for a while, as in some cases, the information was out of date.”
I noticed this morning that Google removed the operator from its help documentation and then asked Google if the related search operator was gone. Google confirmed that it will indeed go away, although it currently appears to be returning results.
Sullivan also said it was rarely used anyway.
Alternatives may return. Danny Sullivan added: “We could potentially review another way of displaying this type of information in the future.” It is unknown what it may be or when it may be.
You ask a question, Google’s SGE can and does provide an instant AI response to answer that question. So, do you need the related search command?
Here’s what the related search operator looks like for this site:
Why we care If you use the related search operator for SEO and search marketing research, you may need to find an alternative solution in the future. Maybe AI search engines like Google SGE, Bard, Bing Chat, ChatGPT or others can help.
