How to Use Regex Filters in Google’s Search Console to Optimize Site Performance
Regular expressions (regex) are a pattern-matching syntax you could use to search for complex strings. Google’s Search Console (GSC) offers the option to use regex to filter and sort through search queries and page performance data.
You can optimize your site performance by analyzing search data using crafted regex filters.
The Benefits of Using Regex in Google Search Console
Regex let you read and analyze data without relying onthe Google Analytics web applicationor other external tools. Here are the many ways you can use regex to optimize site performance:
Free Resources to Learn Regex
Regex is easy to learn as its syntax is pretty straightforward. You can use the following resources to get a good understanding of the syntax and its application in various programming languages:
Follow the #performanceregex hashtag onTwitterto learn about new regex ideas and queries for GSC.
How to Use Regex Filters in Google Search Console
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use regex filters in Google’s Search Console:
Step 1: Log in toGoogle’s Search Console
You need admin access to your website’s GSC account to use regex once you log in.
Step 2: Click on Performance in the Left-Hand Menu
Select the search property you want to view from the drop-down menu on the left-hand side. Then click onPerformanceto bring up search query data you’re able to manipulate using regex.
Step 3: Click on +New in the Filters Options
Click on+Newin the filters' menu on the top of the page to bring up theQueryandPageoptions.
Step 4: Click onQueryorPageto AccessCustom (regex)
When you click on the+Newfilter, you get four options. You can choose either theQueryor thePageoption to use regex in GSC.
Click on theQueries Containingdrop-down menu to access theCustom (regex)option in the dialogue box with Filter and Compare tabs.
Step 5: Input the Regex in theCustom (regex)Field
Once you click onCustom(regex), you’ll get a blank field to input your regex. Enter your regex here and click onApplyto see the custom results.
you’re able to either match the results containing the regex string or filter them out using theDoesn’t match regexoption.
Google Search Console has a 4,096 character limit for regex strings.
Step 6: Export Regex Data
Click on theExportoption in the top right corner to export the data to a spreadsheet or CSV file to manipulate it further.
4 Regex Examples You Can Use to Make the Most of Search Console Data
Regex queries will only work if your website has considerable search impressions to glean data from. Here are a few commonly used regular expressions to manipulate website data.
1. Regex for Questions in Search Queries
This regex string brings up all the question-related search queries that your website showed up for. Add more question modifiers like should, would, won’t, aren’t, etc., to the query to bring up more results.
Use the resulting data to create short posts catering to Google’s featured snippets section, long-form blog posts answering queries with sparse results, understand user intent in clicking on your website, and get inspiration for content ideas.
Sort by the number of clicks to find posts with low click-through rates to improve the content you deliver on these topics.
2. Regex to Find Long-Tail Keywords
This regex string brings up search queries with six or more words implying a proper sentence or question.
This regex string brings up search queries with six or more words implying a proper sentence or question. You can change the number 5 to any other number to shorten or elongate the query string to find more long-tail keywords.
Use long-tail keywords with high volumes as H2s in blog posts to boost your website’s search ranking.
3. Regex to Match Misspelled Keywords
This example query matches all misspellings and variations of the name Elizabeth. You can create similar regex to find brand-related information, like data on common brand names misspellings, keyword variations, etc.
A?following a letter indicates the letter may or may not appear in the string. Use the or function|to include all possible combinations for commonly substituted vowels or consonants. Add(?-i)to your query if you want case-sensitive matches.
Prepend^to your query to match keywords that begin with your string, or append$to match keywords that end with your regex string.
Use this helpful testing tool fromregex101.comto check whether your regex query works as intended.
4. Regex to Analyze Subdirectory Search Data
This example regex shows the performance of all URLs for a particular subdirectory, along with the data on search queries that triggered these results.
Use this query format in conjunction with your URL structure to find data about sets of products, product categories, best-selling brands, and more.
Copy the URL for useful regex queries and save it to rerun with a single click.
Optimize Your Website Performance With Regex
it’s possible to use regex in GSC to analyze query-related data or page performance metrics to enhance your website’s search performance. Once you’ve mastered the art of using regex, leverage it for other purposes like software testing, validating HTML forms, and more.
Regular expressions are a powerful and versatile pattern-matching tool. Find out how they can simplify your form validation.
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