7 Google Search Console Features Most Marketers Never Use

Most marketers open Google Search Console, glance at the clicks chart and close the tab. That habit hides the best parts. These seven Google Search Console features, from the branded queries filter to custom annotations and regex filters, turn the same free data into answers you can act on in ten minutes.

Every step below uses the current menus as of 23 October 2026, checked against Google’s own help centre. Where a feature has limits or only reaches some sites, we say so.

Which Google Search Console features are marketers missing?

The most overlooked Google Search Console features are the branded queries filter, custom chart annotations, regex filters, comparison mode with its Difference column, Query groups in Insights, weekly and monthly views, and the experimental AI-powered configuration. All seven are free, live inside the Performance or Insights reports, and need no third-party tools.

Here is how they compare before we get into the steps.

How do you filter branded queries in Search Console?

Open the Performance report, click the filter bar, choose the Query filter and pick Branded or Non-branded. Google classifies queries with AI, so brand names, misspellings and brand-specific products all count as branded. The filter works across web, image, video and news search types.

Google announced the branded queries filter on the Search Central blog in November 2025 and made it available to all eligible sites in March 2026, according to Search Engine Journal’s report on the rollout. Before this, you had to build a messy regex of every brand spelling yourself.

Steps

1. Go to Performance > Search results.
2. Click the filter bar and select Query.
3. Choose Non-branded. Note clicks and impressions.
4. Switch to Branded and note the same numbers.

Two catches. The filter is not available for sub-properties such as a /blog/ folder property, or for sites with low impressions. And you cannot add your own brand terms. Google’s John Mueller said on LinkedIn there are no current plans for customisation. Data also only starts from the date tracking began, so do not expect years of history.

Why it matters: if your SEO report shows growth but all of it is branded, your content is not winning new customers. Your ads or PR are. Report non-branded clicks as your main SEO metric from now on. If you track campaign success this way already, our guide on measuring an SEO campaign pairs well with this split.

How do you add custom annotations in Search Console?

Open the Performance report, right-click the chart on the date you want, confirm the date, type a note of up to 120 characters and click Add. The note then appears on the chart for everyone on the property, whatever filters they apply, so your team sees why traffic moved.

Custom annotations arrived in November 2025. Google’s help page sets clear limits.

• Up to 200 annotations per property.
• Annotations older than 500 days are deleted automatically.
• You cannot edit a note. Delete and re-add it instead.
• Owners and full users can add and delete. Restricted users can only view.
• Annotations do not show in comparison mode or the 24-hour view.

Keep notes short and consistent so they scan well. A format that works: [Type] What changed + where. For example, “[Content] Refreshed 12 pricing posts” or “[Tech] Moved /blog to new theme”. Never put names or phone numbers in a note, because every user on the property can read it.

Start by back-filling the last few months: site migrations, title tag rewrites, Google core updates and big campaigns. When you next run a technical SEO audit, the cause of each dip will already be on the chart.

Which regex filters should every marketer save?

Use regex filters to group queries or URLs by pattern instead of exact words. Click + Add filter, choose Queries or Pages, select Custom (regex), paste the expression and click Apply. Search Console uses RE2 syntax, matches partially by default and ignores letter case unless you add (?-i) at the start.

Copy these four patterns. Each takes under a minute to apply.

1. Question queries (content ideas and FAQ gaps): ^(who|what|why|how|when|where|which|can|does|is|should)b
2. Long-tail queries of six words or more: ^(S+s){5,}S+$
3. Commercial intent queries: (best|top|vs|review|price|pricing|cost|alternative)
4. A page group, for example blog posts only (use with the Pages filter): /blog/

Pick Doesn’t match regex to flip any pattern. For example, exclude question queries to see only short head terms. The question filter is the fastest way to find FAQ topics for AI Overviews, and the commercial filter shows which money pages need better titles. Pair the results with our CTR strategies for quick wins.

How does comparison mode show what changed?

Comparison mode puts two date ranges, devices, countries or search types side by side and adds a Difference column. Open a filter such as Date, choose Compare, set both values and click Apply. Then sort by Difference to see which queries or pages gained or lost the most clicks.

1. Click the Date filter.
2. Choose Compare, then pick a preset such as the last 28 days against the previous period, or set custom ranges.
3. Click Apply.
4. Open the Pages tab and click the Difference column heading to sort.

You can run only one comparison at a time. Adding a new one replaces the old. Google’s help page also suggests switching to weekly or monthly granularity when comparing date ranges, which brings us to the next feature.

The pages losing the most clicks are your refresh list. Our step-by-step on updating old blog posts shows what to change on each one.

What are Query groups in Search Console Insights?

Query groups are an AI-built card in Search Console Insights that clusters similar searches into topics, such as every variation of “pricing” queries. Google introduced them in October 2025 for properties with a large volume of queries. Groups can change over time, and Google says they do not affect rankings.

To find them, open Search Console Insights from the Overview page and scroll to the Query groups card. Each group shows how clicks moved, so you see which topics are rising or falling without exporting thousands of rows.

Use groups to plan content clusters. A group that is growing but has only one page ranking is a signal to publish supporting articles. A group that is shrinking needs a refresh or better internal links.

When should you use weekly and monthly views?

Switch to weekly or monthly views whenever you report trends to a client or a boss. The time granularity dropdown in the Performance report offers Hourly, Daily, Weekly and Monthly. Weekly smooths out weekend dips, and monthly makes year-long patterns obvious in a single glance.

Google added weekly and monthly views in December 2025. Daily data makes every Saturday look like a crisis, especially for B2B sites. Weekly views also make annotations easier to read, because one bar maps neatly to one change.

Is the AI-powered configuration worth using?

Yes, if you have it. The AI-powered configuration lets you type a request in plain English, and Search Console builds the filters, comparisons and metrics for you. Google’s help page calls it experimental, visible to a small share of users, limited to 20 requests per user per day, and only for Search results.

Look for the filter icon in the Performance report header. If it opens a side panel with a prompt box, you are in. Try prompts like these:

• “Compare clicks from mobile in India for the last 3 months against the previous 3 months”
• “Show impressions and average position for pages containing /blog/ last 28 days”
• “Non-branded queries containing price, last 6 months, compared to the same period last year”

It cannot sort tables, export data or add annotations, and it can misread a request. Always check the filters it applies before you trust the numbers. Google says your prompts are not used to train its AI models.

The PingTalks verdict: a 10-minute Monday routine

None of these features is new magic on its own. Together, they replace most of what agencies used to export into spreadsheets. Our recommended weekly routine:

1. Minute 1 to 2: Set the view to Weekly and check the Non-branded click trend.
2. Minute 3 to 5: Compare last 28 days to the previous period and sort Pages by Difference. Note the top three losers.
3. Minute 6 to 8: Apply the question regex and copy any new question queries into your content plan.
4. Minute 9 to 10: Add an annotation for anything you shipped last week.

The branded queries filter is the single biggest upgrade. It ends the habit of claiming brand demand as SEO success. The AI configuration is promising but too limited for serious work yet. Treat it as a shortcut, not a replacement for knowing the filters yourself. If your rankings are flat after a month of this routine, work through our checklist on why a website is not ranking.

What to do now

• Check whether your property is domain-level. If not, add a domain property so the branded filter works.
• Switch your SEO reports to non-branded clicks as the headline number.
• Back-fill annotations for your last three big site changes.
• Save the four regex patterns above in a note you can paste each week.
• Look for the filter icon in the Performance header to see if you have the AI configuration.

Frequently asked questions

Why can't I see the branded queries filter in Search Console?

The branded queries filter is not available for sub-properties such as a folder-level property, or for sites with a low number of impressions. Add a domain property for your whole site and check again once it collects data.

Can I add my own brand terms to the branded queries filter?

No. Google classifies branded queries automatically with AI, including misspellings and brand-specific products. Google’s John Mueller said there are no current plans to allow custom brand terms.

How many annotations can I add in Search Console?

Each property can hold up to 200 custom annotations, and each note can be up to 120 characters. Annotations older than 500 days are deleted automatically, and notes cannot be edited once added.

Does Search Console support regular expressions?

Yes. Choose + Add filter, pick Queries or Pages, then Custom (regex). Search Console uses RE2 syntax, matches partially by default and is case-insensitive unless you start the pattern with (?-i).

How do I get the AI-powered configuration in Search Console?

You cannot switch it on yourself. Google describes it as an experimental feature visible to a small share of users. If you have it, a filter icon in the Performance report header opens a prompt panel.

Sources

• Introducing the branded queries filter in Search Console (Google Search Central Blog)
• Performance report (Search results): Common tasks and use cases (Search Console Help)
• Search Console annotations (Search Console Help)
• Performance report: Advanced filtering and comparison (Search Console Help)
• Performance report (Search results): Overview and basic setup (Search Console Help)
• Streamline your Search Console analysis with the new AI-powered configuration (Google Search Central Blog)
• Google Answers Questions About Search Console’s Branded Queries Filter (Search Engine Journal)
• Google Search Console adds Query groups (Search Engine Land)