Free tool
Search Console regex builder
Search Console can filter queries and pages by regular expression, but it uses Google's RE2 syntax, which rejects common tricks like lookaheads. Pick what you want to find, and the builder writes a regex Search Console accepts and tells you which filter to use. Then paste your own queries to see exactly what it matches. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is sent to RankEcho.
1. Build a filter
2. Check and test a regex
Paste any regex, your own or one from above, to check it against Search Console's rules. Add queries, one per line, to see which ones it matches. You can copy them from the Queries tab of the Performance report.
Ready-made Search Console regex filters
Replace acme with your brand. Each row says which filter and option to use.
| Find | Regex and filter |
|---|---|
| Questions Queries that start with a question word. Good page headings, FAQs and AI prompts. | ^(who|what|when|where|why|how|which|can|does|do|is|are|should|will)\bQuery filter: Matches regex |
| Brand Your name and its variants. "acme app" also matches "acmeapp". | (?i)(acme|acme\s?app)Query filter: Matches regex |
| Non-brand Everything except your name: the searches from people who did not know you. | (?i)(acme|acme\s?app)Query filter: Doesn't match regex |
| Long queries (6+ words) Specific, conversational searches, closest to how people ask AI assistants. | ^\S+(\s+\S+){5,}$Query filter: Matches regex |
| Comparisons People choosing between options: worth a comparison page. | \b(vs|versus|alternative|alternatives|compare|compared|comparison|best|top|review|reviews)\bQuery filter: Matches regex |
| Pages in /blog/ or /guides/ Use in the Page filter to see one section of the site. | /(blog|guides)/Page filter: Matches regex |
What RE2 does not support
Search Console uses RE2 syntax. Regexes copied from other tools often fail for one of these reasons:
| Not supported | Example | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Negative lookahead | ^(?!.*acme).*$ | Write acme and choose "Doesn't match regex". |
| Lookbehind | (?<=/blog/).* | Match the whole path: /blog/.+ |
| Backreference | (\w+) \1 | No RE2 equivalent; filter in a spreadsheet after export. |
| More than 4,096 characters | A list of hundreds of brand terms | Keep the shortest stem of each term, or split it into two filters. |
Matching is case-sensitive unless the regex starts with (?i), and a regex matches anywhere in the query unless you anchor it with ^ (start) or $ (end).
What to do with the queries you find
- Question queries are headings and short answers your page should already contain. They are also the questions people put to ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini, so they make a good starting panel for checking AI answers: the prompt gap finder turns a site into buyer questions, and the AI visibility checker asks them.
- Non-brand queries show whether new people find you. Watch their clicks separately from brand clicks, which move with awareness rather than SEO work.
- Long queries with impressions and few clicks often point to a page that almost answers the question. See striking distance keywords for what to change.
- Pages in one folder let you watch a section after a change. To check whether one page's change worked, use the SEO change calculator.
The Google Search Console guide covers the rest of the Performance report.
Frequently asked questions
What regex does Google Search Console use?
RE2, Google's regular expression syntax. It supports groups, alternatives with |, character classes, \b word boundaries and repeat counts, but not lookaheads, lookbehinds or backreferences. A filter can be up to 4,096 characters.
Is the Search Console regex filter case-sensitive?
Yes, unless you start the regex with (?i). Search Console shows queries in lower case, so a regex with capital letters may match nothing. This builder adds (?i) to brand and word filters.
How do I exclude queries with regex in Search Console?
Choose the "Doesn't match regex" option in the Query filter. RE2 has no negative lookahead, so you cannot write the exclusion inside the regex itself. For non-brand queries, build the brand regex and use it with "Doesn't match regex".
How do I find question queries in Search Console?
Filter queries with a regex that matches question words at the start, such as ^(who|what|when|where|why|how)\b. The builder above gives a fuller list. Questions are useful twice: as headings and answers on your page, and as prompts to ask AI assistants.
Is anything I type sent to RankEcho?
No. The builder, the checker and the tester run in your browser.
Turn the diagnosis into a shipped change: use the RankEcho Resources library for Find, Fix, and Prove playbooks, checklists, and templates.