Google recently announced improved data filtering for their Search Console Performance reports. This new feature allows users to filter report data using regular expressions (regex). Previously, the only option was to match data using regex.
The new negative match option is available through a secondary dropdown, which appears after picking the "Custom (regex)" option in the filter selector. This option allows users to specify which data they do not want to include in their report.
For more detailed instructions on how to use this new feature, visit Google's support page: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7576553#filteringdata
Google has released a blog post with quick tips on using regex (regular expressions) for filters in Search Console.
Regular expressions are sequences of characters that specify a search pattern. They can be used to create advanced filters to include or exclude more than just a word or phrase. When using regex, you can use a number of metacharacters, which are characters that have a special meaning.
Examples of when to use regex instead of other filters include segmenting users that already know your brand, specifying multiple variants of your company name (including misspellings), and creating filters for all variants of a given word or phrase.
For more information, check out the RE2 regex syntax reference.
Regex can be a useful tool for website owners who want to get a better understanding of the traffic their site is receiving. By creating regex queries that focus on specific directories, website owners can learn more about the types of queries that are bringing users to different sections of their site. This information can be used to improve the content of the website and make it more user-friendly. For example, if a website owner notices that a lot of users are coming to their site via queries that contain question words, they may want to consider adding an FAQ section to their website. Similarly, if they notice that many users are searching for transactional words like "buy" or "purchase" in relation to their products, they may want to make it easier for users to purchase those products on their site.
The Search Console help center has a page on common regular expressions, which can be used for various purposes. If you have any examples of interesting ways to use regex, please share them on Twitter using the hashtag #performanceregex.
If you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out for help on the Google Search Central Community or on Twitter.