Google Search Console regex filters turn your own data into a “poor man’s SEMrush”— a SEMrush Alternative surfacing real queries your site already earns impressions for, so you can pick low-hanging keywords and questions to target without paying for third-party tools.
Where to use these regexes
Search Console → Search Results (Performance) → + New → Query → Custom (regex)
Head to Google Search Console, the “Search results” performance report shows clicks, impressions, average CTR, and average position for queries that trigger your pages in Google Search. Apply these regexes in a Custom (regex) filter on “Query” to slice your keyword data by intent, wording, or structure.
You can then export and process the CSVs with custom scripts if needed.
The “question intent” regex
Base pattern:
(?i)^(who|what|where|when|why|how|was|did|do|is|are|won't|does|if)\s^ anchors the match at the query start, capturing informational / question intent. The group matches interrogative words, and \s ensures a space follows, preventing partial-word matches.
Practical use: Sort by Impressions descending, then scan Average position and CTR. Find questions where you already appear but rank lower (positions 5–20), then create or improve FAQ-style posts to directly answer them. This uncovers “People Also Ask”-style keywords your site almost ranks for.
The “buyer intent” regex
Pattern:
(?i)^(buy|order|purchase|get|best price|cheap|discount|deal|promo|offer|sale|where to buy|how much|cost of|price of)\sThis captures high-intent, commercial searches—words people use when ready to buy. Making a useful SEMrush alternative. On a science blog, this might be “buy CO2 sensor”, “cheap lab balance”, or “how much does CRISPR kit cost”.
Practical use: Filter queries with this regex, then sort by Clicks and CTR. Build “best X for Y” listicles, product reviews, and buyer’s guides around these terms, using existing query wording as seeds for titles and subheadings.
Strict informational questions
(?i)^(who|what|where|when|why|how)\sYields clean, evergreen questions like “how does CRISPR work” or “what is quantum tunnelling”—ideal for explanatory science content. Prioritize high impressions + low CTR (improve titles/meta) and positions 5–20 (targets for new articles).
Broad question + help intent
(?i)^(who|what|where|when|why|how|can|could|should|would|will|were|can't|doesn't|didn't)\sPulls in “should I”, “can you”, “would it” type questions—valuable for opinion, advisory posts, or Q&A sections. Examples: “should I use a home lab for microbiology?”
Long-tail and niche variants
(?i)^(how|why|what)\s.*(for|in)\sSurfaces “how to X for Y” and “what is X in Y context” long-tails—often easier to rank for. Group by theme (e.g., “biogas”, “CRISPR”, “lab safety”) to plan content clusters.
Other commercial-intent patterns
(?i)^(best|top|cheapest)\s(?i)(how much|cost of|price of)\sThese catch mid-funnel “best X for Y” comparisons and cost-focused queries, naturally leading into affiliate recommendations or resource pages.
Using the performance report like a mini Semrush
Clicks show which keywords already bring traffic (defend and expand targets). Impressions reveal demand even without clicks (goldmine for content ideas). Average position identifies easy wins: terms where you rank on pages 2–3 and can move up with focused content, better internal links, or improved on-page optimization.
Free SEMrush-style workflow:
- Apply a question regex to mine informational queries, export rows with decent impressions (50–500) and positions 5–20 as candidates for new or improved articles.
- Apply a buyer-intent regex to find commercial phrases, then craft specific “best X” or review pages around them.
- For a new project, repeat this on any related site you own: patterns tell you which topics and modifiers (“for beginners”, “for home lab”) have real demand but low competition for you.
By iterating these regex filters and reading GSC’s clicks, impressions, CTR, and position data, you turn your own Search Console into a lightweight, zero-cost SEMrush Alternative for many day-to-day keyword research tasks.