Google’s site command will show the URL you put into Google for the site command, even if the URL itself has been redirected using a 301 redirect. I believe it has worked like this for years and years. But Google’s John Mueller and Danny Sullivan are now defending why Google does this.

The domain thesweethome.com 301 redirects to thewirecutter.com, no one will argue that. But when you do a site command for [site:thesweethome.com] in Google, Google lists thesweethome.com and not thewirecutter.com.

This is intentional and has been how Google does this for years, as far as I can remember.

Here is Danny Sullivan’s response on why:

Again:

John Mueller’s turn:

I kind of agree with Google here.

Forum discussion at Twitter.