How do you sort your Search Console queries into question groups?
This free Search Console query sorter takes the queries you export from the Performance report and sorts them into question, long conversational, comparison, best-of, price, review, provider and how-to groups, with clicks, impressions and CTR for each group and the exact filter to reproduce it in Search Console. It runs in your browser and nothing you paste or load is sent anywhere.
Part 1
Sort a query export
Paste the Queries table, or load the CSV file, and choose your brand terms.
1. Which queries do you want to sort?
Paste the Queries table with its header row, or one query per line, then press Sort. Each sort uses one of your free tool runs.
Confirmed The tool reads only what you paste or load. It cannot connect to your Search Console account.
Part 2
Get the data in, and read the result
How to export the queries, what each group means and what the table can and cannot tell you.
2. How do you export your queries from Search Console?
Open the Performance report, choose the date range, and use Export to download the Queries table as a CSV file.
- Open Performance for your property and set the date range, for example the last 3 months, so seasonal wording is included.
- Keep the Queries tab selected, and add no filter if you want every group.
- Choose Export and download the CSV. The file called Queries has the columns Top queries, Clicks, Impressions, CTR and Position.
- Load that file above, or open it and paste the rows.
Confirmed Google's Search Console help says figures the report shows as ~ or - are exported as 0, so a 0 in an export can be a hidden figure, not a true zero. Treat tiny numbers with care.
For a larger set than the report shows, use the Search Console API or a Looker Studio export and paste the same columns.
3. What do the groups mean?
Each group is a word list or a shape, such as starting with a question word, so it finds wording, not intent. A query can sit in more than one group.
| Group | How it is matched | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Question queries | Start with who, what, how, can, is and similar, or end with a question mark | People asking in the way they would ask an assistant |
| Long, conversational | At least the number of words you choose (7 by default) | Detailed asks that read like prompts |
| Comparison | vs, versus, compare, alternative and similar | Buyers weighing options |
| Best or top lists | best, top, leading, recommended | Shortlisting queries |
| Price and cost | price, cost, cheap, how much | Budget questions |
| Reviews and proof | review, rating, testimonial, case study | Looking for evidence |
| Provider evaluation | hire, agency, consultant, expert, company | Choosing who to work with |
| Requirements and how-to | requirements, checklist, steps, guide, template | Learning before buying |
| Brand | Your own terms, if you add them | Separates people who already know you |
Hypothesis These word lists are my own starting grouping for sorting buyer questions, not a Google classification. They are the same lists the regex builder uses, so the filters match.
4. How do you read the table?
Compare groups by impressions and CTR, then open a group to read its queries before you decide what to write or fix.
- A large group with a low CTR shows demand your pages answer poorly or rank low for. Open it and look at the average position.
- A small group with a high CTR may be worth more pages built around the same wording.
- Non-brand against brand shows how much of your traffic comes from people who did not already know you.
- Check the "in none of the groups" row. Those queries are often where your own vocabulary lives, so scan them for new groups.
Next, the regex builder adds any filter you want to refine, and the missing data guide explains why exports sometimes disagree with the report.
5. Questions about sorting Search Console queries
Short answers on what to paste, how the groups work and where the data goes.
What is a Search Console query sorter?
A tool that takes the queries from your Performance report and sorts them into groups, such as questions, comparisons and price searches, with the clicks and impressions for each group. This one also gives the Search Console regex filter for every group.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. The file or text is read and sorted in your browser, and nothing is uploaded. The tool cannot connect to your Search Console account.
What should I paste?
The Queries table with its header row, from a Performance export, or a plain list with one query per line. Comma, tab and semicolon separated files all work.
Why do the groups not add up to my total?
One query can belong to several groups. "best seo agency in london" is both a best-of query and a provider query, so it is counted in each, and the total is counted once.
How is the CTR for a group worked out?
As the group's total clicks divided by its total impressions, not an average of each query's percentage. The average position is weighted by impressions.
Does this tell me what searchers meant?
No. It matches words and shapes. A query can match two groups or none, so read the matched queries before you act on a group.
6. What can this sorter not do?
It sorts the queries you give it. It does not read your account, judge intent or show queries Search Console hides.
- Search Console leaves out anonymised queries, so a sort covers only the queries the report shows.
- The groups are word lists, so wording in another language or an unusual phrase will land in "none of the groups".
- It uses the first 20,000 rows of a very large paste.
- It shows one export at a time and does not compare periods.
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