How to Search Website for Word
Being a marketing professional or a business owner, there will be times when you will need to search your own website or your competitor's website for a specific word. Or maybe you are just browsing a website to find some information. Having the ability to search a website for a word will help you save time by browsing in the right direction as quickly as possible.
What is a Website Search for Keywords?
A website search for keywords is the process of searching a word or phrase in the content of a website. This search is usually used to locate pages, articles, or resources that are relevant to the keyword you have entered.
When you search a website for a word, it helps you find relevant information related to that specific keyword, without needing to manually browse through all the pages. Keyword search is a most common feature nowadays on most websites, and they can be either built into the site or done using external search engines like Google.
Why Would You Search a Website for Keywords?
Below are a few reasons why you might want to search a website for specific keywords:
Benefits of Keyword Searches
- Track Performance: Once you know what keywords a website is targeting, you can track that site's performance. You can see how much traffic it is generating and its ranking in search results.
- Find New Keyword Ideas: Searching website for a word can help you identify keywords and topics that you have not targeted yet. Covering those topics will help you jump in and gain a competitive edge. Google rewards websites that show topical authority, therefore, covering a topic from all angles will help you rank better on the search engine.
- Analyze your Competitors: Searching keywords on a website can show you how your competitors are approaching a specific keyword. For instance, you can see how they are groping similar kinds of keywords or understanding the search intent of the search intent of individual content pieces.
- Find Specific References: If you search a word on your website, it will help you find things like out-of-date product references and expired offers, so you can change or update them. Searching your product and company name on another site can help you find out-of-date mentions there so that you can get in touch and get them updated.
- Find Backlink Opportunities: Securing quality backlinks is crucial to ranking on Google. Search for relevant keywords or topics on websites to find potential backlink opportunities. For example, if you find a website related to mobile application development and you are offering similar services, get in touch and ask for a link.
- Plug Content Gap: You may have overlooked certain keywords on your own site. By analyzing your competitors' websites, you can identify missing keywords and topics they've covered that you haven't. This process, known as content gap analysis, helps uncover new opportunities to improve your SEO and drive more traffic.
Common Uses for Keyword Searches
- Find outdated product mentions and statistics.
- Analyzing competitors' keyword targeting.
- Identifying new keyword opportunities for SEO.
- Locating backlink prospects in related content.
Methods to Search for Keywords on a Website
How to search for specific words on a website? There are multiple ways to search for a word on a website. Each method depends on the reason why you are searching for that word.
Let's learn how to search a page for a word with the below methods one after the other:
Using Basic Browser Functions
1. Ctrl + F on Your Keyboard
Pressing Ctrl + F or (⌘ + F on Apple Keyboard) will open your browser's find function, allowing you to search for exact matches of the keyword you type in. Though it is not the most advanced method for competitor analysis or keyword clustering, it is still the best way to find outdated promotions, statistics, and mentions; and understand how competitors approach different topics.
Once the find function is activated, it will highlight all the instances of the keyword on that page, letting you navigate through each occurrence efficiently. With the find function, you also know how to search for text on a website.
However, there is a disadvantage to this method - you have to make the correct guess as to what words you need to search for, this is why this method is more appropriate for finding product references or specific mentions.
In the above image, mobile app development is the obvious option here, but it might not be the case with other pages of this website. In the below image, you might think that the page is targeting Google Gemini, but it could also target Google's AI Assistant.
In this case, you can check how many times both the keywords are appearing on the page individually. The more the appearance of the keyword, the more likely it could be the main keyword. So while "Google's AI Assistant" appears once in this example, the phrase "Google Gemini" appears 15 times. This could be because it is a more generic phrase, but it could also be a targeting tactic.
The more accurate way to find the target keyword is to use the 'Find' function in the source code.
- Just right-click or Control Click on the page you want to search, and click on View Source Page.
- When the HTML window opens, press Ctrl + F (or ⌘ + F on a Mac) to enable the Find function.
- Locate the <title> tag or <meta> tags to identify the primary keywords a page is targeting.
Keep in mind that while most webpages include the main keyword in the <title> tag, this isn't always the case. Use this as a reference but verify your findings with additional methods for accuracy.
Using Search Engines Efficiently
2. Google Search Operators
Google's main objective is to deliver the most relevant content to every search query and the search operators help the users to refine their searches to get the most accurate results possible.
You can use Google search operators to limit your search to just one website, or you can use them to find websites and pages that target a specific keyword. Here's how:
- Type "site:" followed by the website domain you want to search (for instance, "site:https://www.wedowebapps.co.uk/").
- Add the keyword you want to search after the domain (for instance, "site:www.wedowebapps.co.uk nearshore software development").
You can see that with the Google Search Operator, the results are more accurate, and without the search operator, see how it changes the results.
If you want to find pages with exact-match keywords in the URL, use the below search operator:
- Type "site:" followed by the domain you want to search. (site:www.wedowebapps.co.uk)
- Add "inurl:" and the keyword you want to search after the domain. (site:wedowebapps.co.uk inurl:mobile app development)
You can also use "inurl:" to find out the competitor sites that are ranking for your chosen keyword.
Using Site Tools and Functions
3. Internal Website Search Feature
Most of the websites have their own search tools that let the user search internally for a specific keyword. This search tool is usually there in the navigation bar or at the top of the page, and will either look like a search bar or a magnifying glass.
Though every website does not have this search tool, for the websites having this tool, you might find that this feature doesn't work very well. This is because there could be a lot of content on the website with the same word.
Start by locating the search bar or magnifying glass, enter the word you want to search, and hit enter.
As from the above example, you can see that you cannot find the exact content with the chosen keyword, but you can scroll and explore different content with the same keyword.
Exploring Advanced Keyword Tools
4. Use Keyword Research Tools
The above methods are a great way to run keyword research, but they depend on you knowing what keyword you want to search for. What if you are not sure? Or if you want to discover what keywords a particular page is ranking for without any guesswork?
The solution is to use a keyword research tool.
With Keyword Tracking tools, you can analyze keywords for specific websites or URLs. The tool scans your selected domain or page and generates a list of the keywords it ranks for. This data can help shape your content strategy or identify potential content gaps through multiple searches.
You will then be able to see the keywords the page is ranking for, the search volume, and the difficulty score, and more insights.
You can also use SEMRush or Ubersuggest for your keyword research.
5. Use a Website Crawler
Website crawlers like Screaming Frog can be used for keyword research, but they work differently from traditional SEO tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush. Instead of providing keyword rankings or search volume data, Screaming Frog helps with on-page keyword analysis and optimization.
How to Use Screaming Frog for Keyword Search Within a Website
1. Finding Keyword Usage on a Website
- Enter the website URL into Screaming Frog and start the crawl.
- Once the crawl is complete, go to the "Page Titles" or "Meta Description" tab.
- Filter or search for specific keywords to see where and how they are used in titles, meta descriptions, and H1 tags.
- This helps you identify keyword optimization opportunities.
2. Identifying Missing or Weak Keywords
- Navigate to the "Content" tab to check keyword density on different pages.
- If important keywords are missing or underused, you can optimize the content accordingly.
3. Analyzing Competitor Keyword Usage
- Crawl a competitor's website and analyze their page titles, headings, and meta descriptions.
- Look for recurring keywords to get insights into their SEO strategy.
- Use this data to refine your own keyword targeting.
4. Checking Anchor Text for Keywords
- Go to the "Internal Links" tab to analyze anchor text distribution.
- This helps ensure that internal links are using relevant, keyword-rich anchor text.
Tips for Using Screaming Frog for Keyword Search
Setup and Configuration Tips
- Install Screaming Frog and open the application.
- Enter the target website URL in the search bar.
- Click Start to begin crawling the site.
Analyzing and Exporting Data
- Navigate to the Content Tab for keyword density insights.
- Use the Internal Links Tab to check anchor text relevance.
- Export the data for further analysis in Excel or Google Sheets.
Detailed Keyword Analysis Techniques
Finding Keyword Usage on a Website
- Use search operators to locate specific terms.
- Analyze content structure and keyword placements.
Identifying Gaps in Keyword Strategy
- Compare your site with competitor rankings.
- Discover underutilized keywords and optimize your content.
Evaluating Competitors' Keyword Utilization
- Analyze metadata, page structure, and keyword distribution.
- Understand how competitors optimize for search intent.
Reviewing Anchor Text and Relevance
- Use website crawlers to check keyword usage in anchor text.
- Ensure the internal linking strategy aligns with SEO goals.
Conclusion
The methods above provide simple ways to find keywords on a website. While starting with the search bar method is a quick approach, it may not always yield comprehensive results. To get a more complete keyword list, consider using other techniques like the search-and-find method, Google's site search command, or a website crawling tool.
