Intro
Track cheap-modified queries in GSC so you can isolate explicit price-sensitive demand from broader commercial traffic.
Use this regex to capture cheap-modified searches in Search Console when users clearly prioritise lower-cost options.
The Regex
How This Regex Works (Explained Simply)
\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 the standalone word cheap.
- Creates a narrow price-sensitive segment.
- Helps separate low-cost demand from generic commercial traffic.
What it does not match
- budget seo tools - Budget only matches if you use the variation.
- best seo tools - No cheap modifier appears.
Edge Cases
- Cheap is intentionally strict, so cheaper or cheaply do not match.
- If your niche uses value or low-cost language more often, add those separately.
Example Matches Table
| Query | Match | Why |
|---|---|---|
| cheap seo tools | Match | Contains cheap as a standalone modifier. |
| cheap hotel deals london | Match | Cheap appears directly in the query. |
| budget seo tools | No | Budget only matches if you use the variation. |
| best seo tools | No | No cheap modifier appears. |
How to Use This in Google Search Console
- Open Performance and go to Search results.
- Click Add filter and choose Query.
- Select Custom (regex).
- Paste the regex and click Apply.
When to Use This
- Measure price-sensitive demand separately from broader buying intent.
- Compare cheap queries with discount and deals segments.
- Audit whether low-cost pages capture value-led searches.
Pro Tips
- Keep cheap separate from discount if you want to distinguish low-price intent from promotional intent.
- Review landing pages because cheap traffic can behave very differently after the click.
- If your market avoids the word cheap, use the broader variation instead.
- Compare conversion rate and CTR against premium modifiers to understand trade-offs.
Variations
Include budget-led wording
Expands the segment to more neutral price-sensitive modifiers.
Related Regex Recipes
Regex for "Cheap" Queries
Use this regex to isolate cheap-modified searches in GSC when users prioritise price sensitivity over brand or premium attributes.
Regex for "Discount" Queries
Use this regex to isolate discount modifiers in GSC when searchers are looking for reduced pricing rather than generic deals language.
CTA
Building query segments manually in GSC works for one-off checks, but it breaks down across multiple sites and stakeholders. Spicy Metrics keeps those segments organised and easy to monitor.
Scale segmentation in Spicy Metrics