How to use Google Search Console for keyword research

And remember: SEO doesn't always require big changes. Sometimes, you just need to adjust what you already have.

¿Why use GSC for keyword research?

Before we get into the “how”, let's look at the “why”. The reasons are clear:

👉 Real data: These are not estimates, but real data of how you are ranking (even if they are not completely accurate, they are often broader).

👉 Undiscovered keywords: You're most likely ranking in position 20 or 30 for relevant keywords that you didn't even know.

👉 Fast optimization: Just by adjusting a few things on existing pages, you can move up positions quickly.

👉 Identify lost traffic opportunities: There are keywords with high impressions and low CTR. That's untapped gold.

Step by Step: How to extract keywords from Google Search Console

1. Access the Performance report

Go to Google Search Console, select your property and enter “Search Results” in the Performance section.

Here you'll see a table with:

• Queries or Queries (keywords)
• Impressions
• Clicks
• CTR (Click Through Rate)
• Average position

By default, you'll see the keywords ordered by clicks. But that just shows you what's already working well. Let's go further ⬇️

2. Find keywords with high impressions and low CTR

Click the Impressions heading, sort it from highest to lowest, and filter by average position greater than 10 (for example, between 11 and 20).

What are you looking for here?

• Keywords with more than 100 monthly impressions
• CTR less than 1%
• Position between 10 and 30

Those are your opportunities. You have indexed content, you appear in results, but it doesn't convert to a click. It can be because of:

👉 Inconspicuous meta description

👉 Unclear title

👉 Outdated content

👉 Poorly descriptive URL

My advice: If you see a keyword with 500+ impressions and CTR < 1%, that page deserves urgent optimization. It's possible that just by improving the title and description, you can double the clicks.

3. Use the “Queries” tab on each page

Go to Pages, select a specific URL, and then click on the Queries tab.

This shows you exactly which keywords are bringing traffic to that particular page. This is powerful because:

• It allows you to identify which keywords are not included in the content
• You detect if there is keyword cannibalization (several pages competing for the same term)

Advanced tip: If a keyword brings impressions and clicks to a page, but it's not in your title, H1, or first paragraph, enter it. It's a clear sign that Google associates that content with that term, but it's not fully recognizing it due to lack of on-page optimization.

4. Look for long, commercial-intent keywords

Filter keywords by length. Search for terms of 4 words or more. These are long-tail keywords, generally less competitive and with high conversion intent.

Example:

• Generic word: “safe”
• Long-tail: “best online life insurance 2025"

The second one has less search volume, but a higher chance of conversion. And if you're already ranking in position 15, you can easily get to the first page with specific optimization.

My experience: In one of my projects, I found a keyword with 180 impressions and position 17: “quote car insurance online without a document”. By creating a dedicated landing page and improving usability, I managed to move it to position 2 in 3 weeks.

5. Filter by questions

More and more users are conducting conversational searches. It uses expressions such as “how”, “where”, “what”, “for what”, etc.

To filter questions:

• Click New filter > Query > Custom (regex)
• Paste this line:

(? i) ^ (¿|how|where|when|why|what|who|who|whom|why)

This regex will show you all the queries that start with interrogative words.

Practical application: These are ideal for FAQ-type content, explanatory videos or guide articles. If you're already ranking 20 or better, create structured content in a question-answer format and improve CTR.

6. Export your data and analyze with Excel or Sheets

Don't be left alone with the GSC interface. Export your data and perform advanced filters:

• Filter by position <= 10 and CTR < 2% → opportunity to improve CTR
• Filter by position between 11 and 30 and clicks > 10 → organic growth opportunity
• Group keywords by topic (put link here Why it's important to group relevant keywords together) → detect topics to collect content or semantic clusters

Technical advice: Use the filter function in Excel/Sheets to group by topic. For example, filter out all the keywords that contain “price” or “buy” and you'll have a list of conversion opportunities.

My best advice as an SEO

Don't ignore pages that already bring partial traffic. We often invest time in new pages when we have potential content on the first page of GSC. Optimize first what already works moderately well.

A small adjustment to the title, metadescription or content structure can move a page from position 15 to 4 in a matter of weeks.

Google Search Console not only tells you what's working, but also what could work better. It's a mine of information that many overlook because they focus solely on premium tools.

I recommend that you review GSC once a month as part of your auditing routine. That's where you'll find opportunities for rapid improvement, missed keywords, and technical errors that are limiting your organic growth.

Immediate action: This week, open your GSC, filter for high impressions and low CTR, select 3 pages and optimize them. You will see how in a few weeks you start to gain positions.