Regex in Google Search Console is one of the fastest ways to turn noisy query data into useful decision-making. Basic contains filters are fine for small checks, but regex lets you segment intent, page types, buyer signals, and language nuances at scale.
This guide gives you a practical library of 100+ filters you can copy, adapt, and operationalise in your reporting workflow. We have rewritten this for Better Ranking teams, so it is implementation-first and designed for ongoing use rather than one-off experiments.
If you want to connect regex insights directly to prioritisation, pair this with Keyword Tracking Tool workflows and the operational model in How to Use Rank Tracking to Prioritise SEO Actions.
Quick-start rules before you paste anything
- Case sensitivity: GSC regex is case sensitive unless you add
(?i). - Start and end anchors:
^means starts with,$means ends with. - Escape symbols: Use
\$,\?,\.when needed. - Validate in small ranges first: test on 7 to 14 days before scaling to full date ranges.
- Combine query + page filter: the best insight usually comes from both dimensions together.
General regex filters (works for any business)
1) Question and informational intent
Use case: identify FAQ opportunities, PAA-style queries, and top-of-funnel education gaps.
^(who|what|where|when|why|how|can|does|is|are|should|could|will|did|do)
^(is|are|can|should|does|do)\b
^(how to|what is|why is|where is|when is)
\b(guide|tutorial|explainer|walkthrough)\b
\b(step by step|checklist|template)\b
\b(best way to|how can i|how do i)\b
\b(help|tips|advice|examples|definition)\b
\b(beginner|for beginners|starter)\b
\b(common mistakes|avoid mistakes|pitfalls)\b
\b(what does .* mean)\b
2) Commercial and comparison intent
Use case: find research-stage users evaluating options.
\b(vs|versus|compare|comparison|alternatives?)\b
\b(better than|best|top|review|reviews)\b
\b(pros and cons|worth it|is .* good)\b
\b(competitor|switch from|replace)\b
\b(software comparison|tool comparison)\b
\b(pricing comparison|plan comparison)\b
\b(alternative to)\b
\b(why choose|which is better)\b
\b(top \d+|best \d+)\b
\b(shortlist|recommended)\b
3) Transactional and buying intent
Use case: isolate demand closest to purchase or booking.
\b(buy|purchase|order|shop|store)\b
\b(price|cost|pricing|quote|rates)\b
\b(cheap|affordable|budget|deal|discount)\b
\b(sale|offer|coupon|promo code)\b
\b(book now|book online|schedule)\b
\b(free trial|demo|contact sales)\b
\b(get a quote|get pricing)\b
\b(hire|near me now|same day)\b
\b(immediate|urgent|today)\b
\b(in stock|availability)\b
4) Long-tail and conversational query detection
Use case: find low-competition long-tail and AI-style search phrasing.
([^\s]*\s){5,}
([^\s]*\s){7,}
([^\s]*\s){9,}
([^\s]*\s){11,}
\b(i need|i want to|i am looking for)\b
\b(can you|could you|please)\b
\b(for my business|for my company)\b
\b(in \d{4}|this year|today)\b
\b(examples of|list of|types of)\b
\b(what should i|how should i)\b
5) Exclusion and cleanup filters
Use case: remove noise before deep analysis.
(keyword1|keyword2|keyword3)
\b(job|jobs|career|careers)\b
\b(free|download free)\b
\b(pdf|ppt|doc)\b
\b(login|sign in|account)\b
\b(support|help center|docs)\b
\b(youtube|reddit|wikipedia)\b
\b(weather|news)\b
\b(map|maps|directions)\b
\b(image|images|photo|photos)\b
SaaS regex filters
6) Software/platform intent
Use case: identify users actively searching for SaaS tools and solutions.
(?i)\b(software|platform|tool|app|application|system|solution|suite)s?\b
(?i)\b(crm|cms|erp|workflow|automation)\b
(?i)\b(dashboard|analytics|reporting)\b
(?i)\b(project management|ticketing|helpdesk)\b
(?i)\b(marketing platform|sales platform)\b
(?i)\b(data platform|ops platform)\b
(?i)\b(seo tool|keyword tool|rank tracker)\b
(?i)\b(team collaboration|workspace)\b
(?i)\b(api platform|developer platform)\b
(?i)\b(enterprise software|business software)\b
7) Pricing and plan-stage SaaS intent
Use case: segment users close to evaluation or purchase.
(?i)\b(price|pricing|cost|costs|fee|fees|plans|plan)\b
(?i)\b(subscription|monthly|annual|yearly)\b
(?i)\b(free trial|trial period|start trial)\b
(?i)\b(demo|book demo|get demo)\b
(?i)\b(quote|contact sales|speak to sales)\b
(?i)\b(starter plan|pro plan|enterprise plan)\b
(?i)\b(pricing page|plan details)\b
(?i)\b(discount code|promo)\b
(?i)\b(total cost|cost per user)\b
(?i)\b(contract|no contract|cancel anytime)\b
8) Integration and migration intent
Use case: capture solution-switching and technical onboarding demand.
(?i)\b(integration|integrations|integrate)\b
(?i)\b(connect|sync|connector)\b
(?i)\b(api|apis|webhook|sdk)\b
(?i)\b(zapier|make|n8n)\b
(?i)\b(import data|export data|data migration)\b
(?i)\b(migrate from|switch from|move from)\b
(?i)\b(plugin|extension|addon)\b
(?i)\b(single sign on|sso)\b
(?i)\b(webhooks|event tracking)\b
(?i)\b(native integration|third-party integration)\b
9) SaaS pain-point/problem queries
Use case: uncover user problems your product can solve.
(?i)\b(problem with|issue with|struggling with)\b
(?i)\b(how to automate|automation for)\b
(?i)\b(reduce manual work|save time)\b
(?i)\b(improve workflow|streamline process)\b
(?i)\b(reporting pain|tracking problem)\b
(?i)\b(missed leads|lead leakage)\b
(?i)\b(no visibility|lack of visibility)\b
(?i)\b(team alignment|cross-team)\b
(?i)\b(compliance reporting|audit trail)\b
(?i)\b(scale operations|operational efficiency)\b
Local SEO regex filters
10) Near-me and local-intent modifiers
Use case: isolate geo-commercial search intent.
(?i)\bnear me\b
(?i)\bclosest|nearest|nearby\b
(?i)\bin\s[a-z\s]+$
(?i)\bopen now|open today\b
(?i)\blocal|in my area\b
(?i)\bwithin \d+ miles\b
(?i)\bservice area|coverage area\b
(?i)\bfind a|looking for .* near\b
(?i)\bbest .* near me\b
(?i)\bbook .* near me\b
11) Location, city, and region targeting
Use case: monitor geo-query coverage by market.
(?i)\b(london|manchester|birmingham|leeds|liverpool)\b
(?i)\b(glasgow|edinburgh|bristol|cardiff|newcastle)\b
(?i)\b(hertfordshire|essex|kent|surrey|sussex)\b
(?i)\b(north london|south london|east london|west london)\b
(?i)\b(city centre|downtown|high street)\b
(?i)\b(postcode|zip code|zip)\b
(?i)\bcounty|borough|district\b
(?i)\bnear \b[a-z\s]+\b
(?i)\bfrom \b[a-z\s]+\b
(?i)\bto \b[a-z\s]+\b
12) Service + location combinations
Use case: high-intent local service demand.
(?i)(plumber|electrician|roofer|dentist|solicitor).*(in|near)\b
(?i)(driving lessons|driving instructor).*(in|near)\b
(?i)(dive centre|scuba lessons).*(in|near)\b
(?i)(seo agency|seo consultant).*(in|near)\b
(?i)(emergency|same day).*(in|near)\b
(?i)(book|hire|quote).*(city|town|area)\b
(?i)(cost|price).*(city|town|area)\b
(?i)(reviews).*(city|town|area)\b
(?i)(best).*(service).*(city|town|area)\b
(?i)(open now).*(city|town|area)\b
13) Local trust and decision signals
Use case: identify bottom-funnel local users.
(?i)\b(best|top-rated|trusted|recommended)\b
(?i)\b(review|reviews|rating|ratings)\b
(?i)\blegit|trustworthy|reliable\b
(?i)\bcomplaints|scam|problem\b
(?i)\bexperience|testimonials\b
(?i)\baward winning|certified|licensed\b
(?i)\binsured|approved|accredited\b
(?i)\bresponse time|same day\b
(?i)\bguarantee|warranty\b
(?i)\bcase study|before and after\b
eCommerce regex filters
14) Product and category discovery intent
Use case: capture product taxonomy demand.
(?i)\b(shoes|sneakers|boots|sandals|heels)\b
(?i)\b(laptop|phone|watch|tablet)\b
(?i)\b(dress|jacket|hoodie|jeans)\b
(?i)\b(category|collection|range)\b
(?i)\b(product type|product category)\b
(?i)\b(new arrivals|latest)\b
(?i)\b(best sellers|top sellers)\b
(?i)\b(shop by brand|shop by size)\b
(?i)\b(for men|for women|for kids)\b
(?i)\b(gift|gift ideas|gift set)\b
15) Shopping and checkout intent
Use case: transactional query segmentation.
(?i)\b(buy|shop|order|purchase)\b
(?i)\b(add to cart|checkout)\b
(?i)\b(shipping|delivery|returns)\b
(?i)\b(next day delivery|free delivery)\b
(?i)\b(in stock|out of stock|availability)\b
(?i)\b(cash on delivery|payment options)\b
(?i)\b(discount code|voucher|coupon)\b
(?i)\b(track order|order status)\b
(?i)\b(returns policy|refund policy)\b
(?i)\b(secure checkout|trusted checkout)\b
16) Variant and attribute intent
Use case: detect variant demand for merchandising and PLP optimisation.
(?i)\b(size|small|medium|large|xl|xxl)\b
(?i)\b(color|red|blue|black|white|green)\b
(?i)\b(material|cotton|leather|wool)\b
(?i)\b(style|fit|slim fit|regular fit)\b
(?i)\b(length|width|height|dimensions)\b
(?i)\b(mens|womens|kids|unisex)\b
(?i)\b(pack of|bundle|set of)\b
(?i)\b(edition|limited edition)\b
(?i)\b(model|version|series)\b
(?i)\b(replacement|spare|accessory)\b
17) eCommerce comparison and value intent
Use case: listicle and comparison-driven shopping behavior.
(?i)\b(vs|versus|compare|comparison)\b
(?i)\b(best|top|top-rated|recommended)\b
(?i)\b(cheap|affordable|budget)\b
(?i)\b(deal|sale|clearance|under \$|under £)\b
(?i)\b(worth it|value for money)\b
(?i)\b(review|reviews|rating|ratings)\b
(?i)\b(pros and cons)\b
(?i)\b(difference between)\b
(?i)\b(alternative to)\b
(?i)\b(brand1|brand2|brand3).*(vs|compare)\b
Multilingual and international question filters
18) PAA-style question starters by language
Use case: segment informational demand in multilingual markets.
^(qué|cómo|cuándo|dónde|por qué|quién|cuál|cuánto)
^(quoi|comment|quand|où|pourquoi|qui|quel|combien)
^(was|wie|wann|wo|warum|wer|welche|wieviel)
^(o que|como|quando|onde|por que|quem|qual|quanto)
^(cosa|come|quando|dove|perché|chi|quale|quanto)
^(wat|hoe|wanneer|waar|waarom|wie|welke|hoeveel)
^(co|jak|kdy|kde|proč|kdo|který|kolik)
^(ce|cum|când|unde|de ce|cine|care|cât)
^(ne|nasıl|ne zaman|nerede|neden|kim|hangi|kaç)
^(apa|bagaimana|kapan|di mana|mengapa|siapa|berapa)
Bonus filters for technical/content diagnostics
19) SERP feature and format opportunity filters
Use case: find terms better suited to specific content formats.
(?i)\b(checklist|template|calculator|tool)\b
(?i)\b(example|examples|sample|samples)\b
(?i)\b(statistics|stats|data)\b
(?i)\b(case study|case studies)\b
(?i)\b(questions to ask|interview questions)\b
(?i)\b(definition|meaning|glossary)\b
(?i)\b(steps|process|framework)\b
(?i)\b(vs|comparison chart|comparison table)\b
(?i)\b(pricing|cost breakdown)\b
(?i)\b(best practices|mistakes to avoid)\b
20) Brand + non-brand support filters
Use case: split and audit brand dependency.
(?i)\b(better ranking|betterranking|better ranking seo)\b
(?i)\b(sam pettiford|open redaction)\b
(?i)\b(branded term 1|branded term 2)\b
(?i)\b(brand misspelling 1|brand misspelling 2)\b
(?i)\b(company name).*(review|pricing|contact)\b
(?i)\b(services).*(company name)\b
(?i)\b(company name).*(login|portal)\b
(?i)\b(non brand seed term 1|non brand seed term 2)\b
(?i)\b(generic service term)\b
(?i)\b(local service term)\b
That gives you a practical working library of 120 regex filters you can use immediately in GSC and reporting workflows.
How to use these in GSC
- Open Search Console and choose your property.
- Go to Performance > Search results.
- Click
+ New> Query > Custom (regex). - Paste one regex and apply.
- Save your findings in a naming convention by intent (e.g.
Local Transactional,SaaS Integration,eCom Variant). - Repeat with page filters for higher precision.
Use regex in short diagnostic loops. Start with 7 to 14 days, validate signal quality, then extend timeframe.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Over-complex patterns that are hard to maintain.
- Analysing filtered totals as if they were full query totals.
- Mixing too many intents in one regex block.
- Not aligning regex insight to page-level action.
- Running regex analysis without a prioritisation framework.
To turn regex insights into action sequencing, combine this with How to Use Bing Webmaster Tools for SEO for technical visibility checks and Technical SEO implementation discipline.
Final action summary
Regex filtering in GSC is not an advanced trick for specialists. It is a practical way to save hours every month and focus on the queries that actually move outcomes.
Build a small library around your business model, reuse it consistently, and connect each filtered view to a clear optimisation action.
Need help operationalising regex insights?
We can build a repeatable query-segmentation and prioritisation workflow tied to your keyword tracking and SEO delivery cadence.
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