If you’ve ever scrolled through hundreds of keywords inside Google Search Console, you know the pain.
It’s messy. It’s repetitive. And often, the real gems stay buried under the clutter.
That’s where regex comes in.
Think of it as a magnifying glass that helps you find meaningful keyword patterns in seconds.
We recently used regex to analyze search data for Kingdom of Chess, an emerging chess academy online.
The results? Clearer keyword intent, better targeting, and content ideas that actually aligned with what users were searching for.
Here’s exactly how we did it — and how you can too.
What Is Regex (and Why It’s a Secret SEO Weapon)
Regex (short for Regular Expressions) lets you find complex patterns in text.
Instead of filtering manually, you can command Google Search Console to show you all queries matching a rule — like all that begin with “how to,” or all that contain numbers.
For example:
- “how to play chess online”
- “best chess strategies 2025”
- “top 10 chess players in India”
With one simple pattern, you can reveal keyword clusters that reveal intent, not just words.
How to Use Regex in Google Search Console?
Let’s walk through the setup.
Step 1: Go to the Queries Tab
Open Google Search Console → Performance → Search Results → Queries.
Step 2: Click the Filter Button → Custom (Regex)
Here’s where the fun begins.
You can now enter custom regex patterns to filter keywords the way you want.
Example 1: Find “How-To” Searches
^(how|why|what|when|where|who)
This shows all keywords starting with question words — perfect for identifying informational intent.
Example results:
“how to train for chess tournaments”
“why chess improves focus”
Example 2: Capture List-Based or Number Keywords
[0-9]+
This instantly shows searches like:
“10 best chess openings”
“5 easiest tactics for beginners”
These often perform better in CTR because list-style titles attract curiosity.
Example 3: Separate Branded vs. Non-Branded Queries
If you want to see only non-branded searches:
^(?!.*(brandname)).*
In our case, when analyzing Kingdom of Chess, we excluded brand terms to focus purely on intent-driven traffic — like “online chess training for kids” or “best chess tutor near me.”
The Case Study: What We Found for “Chess Academy Online”
When analyzing data for Kingdom of Chess, we noticed hundreds of long-tail variations around one core topic:
“chess academy online.”
To capture them all, we used:
(chess academy|online chess|chess classes)
This revealed dozens of high-intent queries such as:
- “chess classes near me”
- “best online chess academy in india”
- “online chess classes”
These insights helped refine targeting around parent-focused content and student training pages — rather than chasing broad, low-converting chess keywords.
Why Regex Matters for SEO Pros
Regex helps marketers do more than just keyword cleanup. It enables strategic segmentation.
Here’s what makes it powerful:
Filter queries by search intent (how-to, brand, location, etc.)
Spot content opportunities competitors overlook
Understand how people actually phrase searches
Build content clusters based on live data
In short: regex turns “keyword lists” into marketing intelligence.
Pro Tip: Combine Regex with Other Tools
Regex alone can show what users are searching for.
But when you combine it with professional SEO tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or ChatGPT, you discover why they’re searching — and how to serve that intent better.
Here’s how we do it step-by-step:
Step 1: Extract Patterns Using Regex (in Google Search Console)
We start by applying regex filters to segment queries by intent.
For example, the pattern
^(how|why|what|when|where|who)
helps us find all question-based searches.
In one analysis for a chess training website, over 43% of total impressions came from question-style queries — like “how to improve in chess fast” or “what is the best chess opening for beginners.”
That was our first insight: users weren’t just looking for “chess classes.” They were looking for guidance, not just services.
Step 2: Export and Expand via SEMrush or Ahrefs
Next, we exported those regex-filtered queries into SEMrush’s Keyword Magic Tool.
By doing this, we could:
- Check search volumes and keyword difficulty for each intent cluster.
- Identify long-tail opportunities like “best chess tactics for school tournaments” or “online chess lessons for kids under 10.”
- Compare CTR and CPC trends to validate commercial potential.
Data-backed takeaway: around 60% of regex-filtered queries turned out to have lower competition but higher conversion relevance than our generic “chess academy online” terms.
That’s the power of using regex before running your keyword analysis — you start clean, not cluttered.
Step 3: Cluster and Interpret Using ChatGPT or Sheets
Finally, we used ChatGPT’s keyword clustering logic (you can also use Google Sheets with REGEXMATCH() formulas) to group related search phrases.
Clusters we found included:
- Chess learning intent: “how to play chess,” “improve chess rating,” “learn chess online free.”
- Competitive intent: “chess tournaments near me,” “FIDE-rated chess events.”
- Purchase intent: “online chess coaching for beginners,” “affordable chess classes.”
Each cluster became a separate content pillar — blog, landing page, or YouTube script — matched directly to user intent.
Result: Regex + Tool Stack = Precision Marketing
After combining regex segmentation with SEMrush and ChatGPT clustering, we could:
Eliminate irrelevant or duplicate keywords
Discover 12 new long-tail content angles
Improve CTR on target pages by 26% (based on GSC data from the next 30 days)
In short, regex gives you clarity, and SEO tools give you depth.
When used together, they create a complete keyword intelligence system — not just a spreadsheet of words.