Search Console Shows 1,000 Queries. Five Regex Filters Find the Ten Worth Writing About

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You launch a site, connect Google Search Console, and open the Queries report.

There are 1,000 phrases.

That sounds useful until you notice the list includes your brand name, misspellings, one-off searches, short generic terms, and long questions that look like something a person would ask in a conversation.

Then you publish a random blog post and wonder why it gets no traffic.

The better approach is to filter the list before building anything. With five copy-paste regex filters, you can turn a raw Search Console export into a short content plan in about 10 minutes.

You do not need to understand programming. You only need to know where to paste the pattern.

Why the raw query list misleads you

Search Console shows what people typed before reaching your site. It does not automatically tell you which queries deserve a new page.

A raw list can contain:

• Brand terms: Your company name, product name, or domain
• Typos: Misspelled versions of your brand or service
• One-off queries: Phrases with one impression and no clear pattern
• Very broad terms: Queries that are difficult to match with a specific page
• Commercial searches: People comparing products or looking for prices
• Natural-language questions: Queries beginning with “how do I” or “what is”
• Long-tail opportunities: Specific phrases with five or more words

Treating every query equally creates a weak content plan.

❌ Write one article for every phrase in the report.

✅ Group similar queries, identify the strongest intent, and create one useful page that answers the underlying need.

Google Search Console supports custom regular expressions through the Query filter. Google uses the RE2 syntax, so some advanced regex features are not available. You can read Google’s documentation on Search Console performance reports.

You can also use the free Search Console Regex Library, which provides tested patterns you can copy and paste.

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How to apply a regex filter

1. Open Performance in Google Search Console.
2. Select Search results.
3. Click + New.
4. Choose Query.
5. Change the filter type to Custom (regex).
6. Select Matches regex.
7. Paste one of the patterns below.
8. Review the clicks, impressions, average position, and pages associated with the filtered queries.

Search Console is not a keyword database. Use the data to find patterns in real searches that already have some connection to your website.

Filter 1: Find question queries

Start with question queries because they often reveal clear content opportunities.

Copy this pattern:

^(who|what|where|when|why|how|can|does|is|are|should|could|will|did|do)

This finds queries that begin with common question words, such as:

• How do I add a booking form to my website?
• What is the best analytics tool for a small business?
• Why is my new website not appearing on Google?
• Can I improve SEO without hiring a developer?

These phrases are easier to turn into useful article titles than a list of disconnected keywords.

Build the page around the problem, not just the wording.

If five queries ask variations of the same question, create one direct guide. Include the answer near the top, explain the steps, and cover the most likely follow-up questions.

Filter 2: Find commercial and comparison intent

The next filter identifies people who are evaluating solutions.

Copy this pattern:

(?i)(vs|versus|compare|comparison|alternative|alternatives|better|best|top|review|reviews)

This surfaces searches such as:

• Best SEO analyzer for a small business
• Website audit tool comparison
• Product A versus Product B
• Alternatives to a paid SEO platform
• Best schema generator for a new website

These queries can support comparison pages, buyer guides, reviews, and solution pages.

Use the impressions and average position to prioritize them. A query with 2,000 impressions and an average position of 18 may deserve attention before a query with 30 impressions at position 70.

❌ Create a generic article called “The Complete Guide to SEO.”

✅ Create a focused page called “Free SEO Analyzer vs Paid SEO Tools for Solo Founders.”

Keep comparisons honest. Explain who each option suits, what it does well, and where it falls short. Specificity improves usefulness and makes the page easier to trust.

Filter 3: Separate brand from non-brand queries

Brand and non-brand searches answer different questions.

Brand searches show whether people already know you. Non-brand searches show whether your content can attract people who do not know you yet.

Create a pattern using your brand terms:

(?i)\b(yourbrand|your brand|yourproduct)\b

Replace the example terms with:

• Your company name
• Common spacing variations
• Product names
• Abbreviations
• Frequent brand misspellings

Use Matches regex to see branded demand.

Then use the same pattern with Doesn’t match regex to view non-brand queries.

View	What it tells you
Brand queries	Existing awareness and navigational demand
Non-brand queries	Discovery opportunities
Brand plus question	Support and education needs
Non-brand plus commercial	Potential acquisition pages

Do not mistake a high click count from brand queries for broad organic visibility. A site can receive branded traffic while remaining almost invisible for problems, categories, and solutions related to its service.

For a new site, the non-brand report is usually the more useful content planning view.

Filter 4: Find long-tail queries with five or eight words

Long-tail queries are often more specific and easier to match with a focused page.

For queries containing at least five words, use:

^\S+(\s+\S+){4,}$

For queries containing at least eight words, use:

^\S+(\s+\S+){7,}$

The five-word filter can reveal searches such as:

• Free SEO audit for a new SaaS website
• How to add schema to a no-code site
• Best website analyzer for solo founders

The eight-word filter usually produces even more specific searches:

• How do I improve SEO on my AI-built landing page
• What should I fix before sending traffic to my new website
• How can I check if my site is ready for Google search

Word count is not a quality score. A long query may still be a typo or an unhelpful one-off search.

Use this filter to find repeated themes. If several long queries describe the same need, group them into one page. Do not create separate articles for tiny wording differences.

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Filter 5: Find natural-language queries for SEO and AEO

The most useful queries for answer-focused content often sound like ordinary speech.

Copy this pattern:

(?i)\b(how do i|how can i|what is the best|i need|i want|can someone|is there a way to|why does|what should i)\b

This identifies searches such as:

• How do I check whether ChatGPT understands my website?
• What is the best way to improve my SEO score?
• I need help fixing technical SEO issues
• What should I add to a new landing page?
• Is there a way to check if my website is ready for AI search?

These phrases matter for Answer Engine Optimization, or AEO.

People use natural questions in Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other answer engines. The systems are different, but the underlying information need often overlaps. A page that gives a clear, complete answer to “how do I fix this?” can serve both traditional search and answer-focused discovery.

That does not guarantee a citation or recommendation. It does give you a better target than forcing a short keyword into an article that does not answer a real question.

Use a simple structure:

1. State the direct answer.
2. Explain why it matters.
3. Give the steps.
4. Include examples.
5. Add related questions and limitations.
6. Link to the next practical action.

The free AEO audit checks answer structure, entity clarity, citation worthiness, semantic completeness, and structured data.

The 10-minute content planning workflow

Use the five filters in this order:

1. Run the question filter. Mark repeated problems and “how to” themes.
2. Run the commercial filter. Mark comparison, review, alternative, and pricing opportunities.
3. Separate brand and non-brand. Remove existing awareness from your acquisition plan.
4. Run the five-word and eight-word filters. Look for specific recurring needs.
5. Run the natural-language filter. Highlight pages that could answer real user questions.
6. Choose only ten topics. Prioritize by impressions, relevance, average position, and business value.
7. Combine duplicates. One strong page is better than five thin variations.
8. Assign a page type. Choose a guide, comparison, landing page, checklist, or tutorial.
9. Write the answer first. Put the clearest response near the top.
10. Verify the page before promotion. Check search basics, structured data, loading, and security.

Do not choose topics based on impressions alone. A phrase should also match your product, audience, and ability to provide a genuinely useful answer.

Verify three pages before sending traffic

Pick three high-priority queries from your filtered list.

For each page:

• Create a focused title and description with the Meta Tag Generator.
• Add relevant structured data using the Schema Markup Generator.
• Publish the page.
• Open it on mobile and desktop.
• Confirm the page loads without broken sections.
• Check that the title, heading, links, and main answer render correctly.
• Review the page with the free SEO and AEO analyzer.

A fast-built landing page can look finished while still shipping with exposed files, missing protections, or other security weaknesses. Run the Vulnerability Check from the Smart Analytics analyzer before promoting the page or sending paid traffic to it.

❌ Build ten pages, promote them immediately, and inspect problems later.

✅ Build three pages, verify how they render and load, check SEO and AEO signals, run the security check, then expand the plan.

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Find the ten topics hiding in your report

A 1,000-query Search Console report is not a content plan. It is raw material.

Use regex to separate:

• Questions from statements
• Buyers from researchers
• Brand demand from discovery demand
• Short terms from specific long-tail searches
• Ordinary keyword fragments from natural-language questions

Then choose the ten topics that combine clear intent, repeated demand, business relevance, and a realistic chance of producing a better answer.

The Smart Analytics Search Console Regex Library is free to use with no login, no email, and no paywall. The same applies to the Meta Tag Generator, Schema Markup Generator, full SEO and AEO analyzer, and Vulnerability Check.

Use the filters first. Build fewer pages. Verify every page before you promote it.