Intro

Track branded login intent in GSC so you can separate account-access demand from other branded traffic.

Use this regex to isolate branded account-access intent and keep it separate from support or pricing demand.

The Regex

^(spicy metrics|spicymetrics|spicemetrics)\s+(login|log in|sign in|app)\b.*

How This Regex Works (Explained Simply)

()

Parentheses group terms together so GSC treats them as one unit. That is what lets one regex cover several query variants in a single filter.

|

The pipe means OR. GSC will match any term on either side of the pipe, which is useful for variants, modifiers, or alternative phrases.

.*

Dot-star means any characters can appear here. In GSC it is commonly used when you want to allow extra words before or after a core phrase.

^

The caret anchors the regex to the start of the query. Use it when you want to match terms only if they appear first in GSC.

+

The plus sign means one or more of the previous token. It helps when a term can repeat but still needs to be present at least once.

\s

Backslash-s matches a whitespace character. It is useful when spacing can vary between query formats.

\b

Backslash-b marks a word boundary. It helps stop short terms from matching inside longer words in GSC queries.

GSC regex is case-insensitive by default, so capital letters do not need separate variants. GSC also uses partial matching by default, so the regex can match part of a longer query unless you anchor it with ^ or $.

What This Regex Does

  • Matches branded queries that clearly signal account access intent.
  • Helps you track how much brand demand is really trying to log in.
  • Stops login demand from inflating broader branded CTR or conversion analysis.

What it does not match

  • spicy metrics support - This is branded help intent, not account-access intent.
  • dashboard sign in - The login phrase is present, but the brand is missing.

Edge Cases

  • Login intent can overlap with navigational intent when users search for dashboard or app instead of login explicitly.
  • If your audience uses logon or portal, add them as explicit variants.

Example Matches Table

Query Match Why
spicy metrics login Match Starts with the brand and a grouped login modifier.
spicymetrics sign in Match Uses the joined brand variant and a sign-in phrase.
spicy metrics support No This is branded help intent, not account-access intent.
dashboard sign in No The login phrase is present, but the brand is missing.

How to Use This in Google Search Console

  1. Open Performance and go to Search results.
  2. Click Add filter and choose Query.
  3. Select Custom (regex).
  4. Paste the regex and click Apply.

When to Use This

  • Measure account-access demand separately from sales-led branded queries.
  • Check whether login demand spikes after release or migration changes.
  • Keep branded operational traffic out of broader marketing reporting.

Pro Tips

  • Compare login demand with support demand to spot account-access friction.
  • If users search for app or dashboard instead of login, keep those modifiers grouped together.
  • Review the landing page mix to make sure the right login destination is ranking.

Variations

Add dashboard phrasing

^(spicy metrics|spicymetrics|spicemetrics)\s+(login|log in|sign in|app|dashboard)\b.*

Broadens the access-intent segment to include dashboard-led navigational phrasing.

Strict login phrases only

^(spicy metrics|spicymetrics|spicemetrics)\s+(login|sign in)\b.*

Use this when you want the cleanest account-access segment possible.

Related Regex Recipes

CTA

Regex is only the first step. The real bottleneck is turning manual filters into a repeatable workflow your team actually uses. Spicy Metrics helps you move from ad hoc filtering to operational SEO workflows.

Move beyond manual regex work