How to do keyword research on Google Search Console

What Search Console can and cannot tell you

Search Console reports actual Google search data for a site you have verified: impressions, clicks, click-through rate and average position, by query, page, country and device. It is free and it comes from Google.

So it is a tool for improving what you have, not for discovering an entire market. Pair it with a keyword tool when you need new topics. The overall method is in how to do keyword research.

Steps to build a shortlist

1. Open Performance, then Search resultsSet the date range to the last 3 or 6 months so seasonal noise evens out.
2. Turn on all four metricsClicks, impressions, CTR and average position. The queries table will show them as columns.
3. Sort by impressionsThe phrases with the most appearances are where the largest potential lies.
4. Filter position between 8 and 20Use the Position filter. Pages in this range are often close to page one. Note them.
5. Find the weak titlesLook for queries with high impressions and a CTR well below your average. The title or snippet may not match the searcher's intent.
6. Click through to the pageSelect a query, then switch to Pages to see which page matched. If the wrong page appears, you may have two pages competing.
7. Export and recordExport to a sheet, and record the date. You will compare after changes.

Repeat the same export every month and keep the files together. A year of monthly snapshots lets you see which phrases are growing before they appear in any keyword tool.

Also try the Countries and Devices tabs. A phrase that performs well on mobile but badly on desktop often points to a layout or speed problem, not a content problem.

Two filters worth learning

Use the Query filter with the option 'Custom (regex)' to find question phrases in one pass. For example, a pattern that matches the words how, what, why, can and does at the start of a query shows every question people reach you through. Those are ready-made FAQ and article ideas.

Add a Page filter to see the queries for one URL. If a page ranks for dozens of different phrases, it is a candidate for being split into two focused pages, or for a stronger set of headings.

Reading the numbers without fooling yourself

• Average position is an average across different searches and places. A page can be at 3 for one query and 40 for another.
• Impressions count appearances in results, even if the result was far down a page nobody scrolled.
• Short date ranges are noisy. Compare equal periods, such as 28 days against the previous 28.
• The table in the interface shows up to 1,000 rows when you export. For larger sites, use the API or a connector to get more.
• New pages take time. Do not judge a page in its first fortnight.

A change worth testing: rewrite the title and first paragraph for a page sitting at positions 8 to 15 with solid impressions, add two internal links from relevant pages, and compare after four to six weeks.

Pitfalls

• Treating a position of 1.0 as final. A very small number of impressions can show a perfect position.
• Ignoring brand queries. Separate queries containing your name from the rest, or they hide how you perform on generic searches.
• Chasing every rising query. Choose those that fit what you sell.
• Forgetting that Search Console data only exists from when the property was verified.

If your property is not set up, our Google Search Console setup guide walks through verification. We report SEO work from our clients' own Search Console data, so this is the same view we would use with you.