Intro

Track variant-modified product searches in GSC so you can measure how often users search with size or colour qualifiers.

Use this regex to isolate product variant modifiers in GSC when users add colour or size language to a product search.

The Regex

\b(red|blue|black|white|small|medium|large|xl)\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.

\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 grouped colour and size qualifiers.
  • Separates attribute-led demand from generic product queries.
  • Helps you understand whether variant landing pages or filters matter for SEO.

What it does not match

  • size 10 running shoes - Size-number formats only match in the broader variation.
  • running shoes sale - No grouped size or colour variant appears.

Edge Cases

  • Template variant lists should reflect your own product attributes, not this default set.
  • Short size tokens such as xl can overlap with unrelated strings in some datasets.

Example Matches Table

Query Match Why
black running shoes Match Contains black, which is a grouped colour variant.
large office chair Match Contains large as a grouped size modifier.
size 10 running shoes No Size-number formats only match in the broader variation.
running shoes sale No No grouped size or colour variant appears.

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 variant-led search demand across products.
  • Check whether filter pages or variant pages deserve more SEO attention.
  • Compare colour and size intent against base product demand.

Pro Tips

  • This is a template recipe and should reflect the variant language your catalogue actually uses.
  • If size numbers are important, add them carefully because they can create noise.
  • Variant demand often lands poorly on generic products, so review destination pages.
  • Use this alongside product queries for a cleaner product-vs-variant split.

Variations

Include numeric size phrasing

\b(red|blue|black|white|small|medium|large|xl|size \d+)\b

Adds another common attribute pattern for apparel and footwear searches.

Related Regex Recipes

Related Recipe

Regex for Product Queries

Use this regex to isolate product-level queries in GSC when you want a clear segment built around specific items rather than category or intent modifiers.
Related Recipe

Regex for Product + Feature Queries

Use this regex to isolate product-feature searches in GSC when demand is shaped by one or more product attributes rather than the base item alone.

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