Search Console guide
How to find question keywords in Search Console
Direct answer
To find question keywords in Search Console, add a Query filter with a custom regex that matches questions, such as ^(how|what|why|when|where|can|does|is)\b, then sort the results by impressions. That shows which questions already bring your site into results. The pattern only catches English, so other languages need their own question words and their own pass. Rankgaroo can run the regex and group the near-duplicates.
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On this page
Do it by handAsk your AI insteadWorked exampleLimits to knowQuestionsRelated guidesYou want to write pages that answer real questions, and the questions are already in your Search Console data, buried among every other query.
The Queries tab doesn't label questions. A regex filter pulls them out in one pass.
Do it by hand in Search Console
- Go to Performance → Search results and choose a date range, preferably 3 months or more so you get more rows.
- Click + Add filter, choose Query, then pick Custom (regex) and set it to match.
- Enter ^(how|what|why|when|where|can|does|is)\b and apply. The ^ anchors the match to the start of the query.
- Sort by Impressions. Note questions with many impressions and few clicks, and the position each one has.
- Open the Pages tab to see which page answers each question.
- For other languages, repeat with that language's question words. Spanish and German start questions with words such as como or wie. Japanese puts question markers elsewhere in the query, so drop the ^.
A start-of-query regex misses questions phrased differently and every language you didn't write a pattern for, so each pass finds a new slice and you stitch them together by hand.
Ask your AI instead
With Rankgaroo connected to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor, paste a question like this:
From Search Console for example.com (2026-09-25 to 2026-10-22), list question queries: those starting with how, what, why, when, where, can, does or is. Show clicks, impressions and position, group near-duplicates, and flag questions with 30 or more impressions and no clicks. Then do a second pass for Spanish, German and Japanese questions.
What the AI calls
gsc_search_analytics(siteUrl: "sc-domain:example.com", startDate: "2026-09-25", endDate: "2026-10-22", dimensions: ["query"], filters: [{dimension: "query", operator: "includingRegex", expression: "^(how|what|why|when|where|can|does|is)\b"}], rowLimit: 1000)returns the English questions. The AI groups rephrasings of the same question.
gsc_search_analytics(..., dimensions: ["query"], filters: [{dimension: "query", operator: "includingRegex", expression: "^(como|wie|kann|warum)\b"}], rowLimit: 1000)for a second language pass. The AI adds whatever patterns fit your market.
Worked example
| Query | Clicks | Impressions | CTR | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| how to write an invoice as a freelancer | 14 | 180 | 7.8% | 3.1 |
| how to make an invoice for freelance work | 9 | 110 | 8.2% | 3.6 |
| how to create an invoice as a freelancer | 6 | 75 | 8.0% | 4.2 |
| how to bill hourly as a freelancer | 6 | 980 | 0.6% | 11.2 |
| how to track billable hours for clients | 0 | 144 | 0.0% | 7.7 |
| how do i track billable hours as a freelancer | 0 | 68 | 0.0% | 9.5 |
| how to keep track of billable hours | 0 | 44 | 0.0% | 9.9 |
| what does net 30 mean on an invoice | 2 | 310 | 0.6% | 8.4 |
| do freelancers need to charge sales tax | 1 | 37 | 2.7% | 8.4 |
| como hacer una factura como autonomo (how to make an invoice as a freelancer, Spanish) | 4 | 140 | 2.9% | 5.3 |
What the answer says
Of the top 1,000 queries by clicks, 166 start with an English question word, adding up to 11,900 impressions and 212 clicks. The "how to write an invoice" questions already do well, at positions 3.1 to 4.2. The "how to track billable hours" group is different: 144, 68 and 44 impressions at positions 7.7 to 9.9, and no clicks at all. That suggests people ask a question your pages don't answer well yet. A rough second pass for other languages found 58 more queries and 3,420 impressions.
Limits to know
- An English regex misses other languages. If you have /de/, /es/ and /ja/ sections, German and Spanish questions start with their own words (wie, como), and Japanese questions end with markers such as 方法 or やり方 instead of starting with a question word, so those need their own patterns.
- gsc_search_analytics returns at most 1,000 rows per call, highest clicks first. Zero-click questions can sit past that limit.
- Search Console hides rare, anonymized queries. Many long questions are searched too rarely to show.
- Regex filters use RE2 syntax, so there are no lookaheads.
Questions
Why look for question keywords?
Question keywords state what the searcher wants answered, so each one maps cleanly to a page or a section. They also tend to match how people phrase requests to AI assistants, which makes them useful topics to cover.
Which regex catches the most English questions?
Start with ^(how|what|why|when|where|can|does|is)\b. Add should, which, who, do and are if your niche uses them. The \b stops it from matching words that merely start with those letters, such as island.
How do I find question queries in languages other than English?
Use that language's question words or markers. Spanish queries often start with como, and German with wie or kann. Japanese puts markers like 方法 or やり方 inside the query, so remove the ^ anchor for those.
Does every question need its own page?
No. Questions that are rewordings of one idea belong on one page. In the example above, the three "how to write an invoice" phrasings all fit one guide, which is the right shape.