Intro
Capture image-led searches in GSC so you can isolate queries that may favour visual examples, galleries, screenshots, or product imagery.
Use this regex to isolate image-intent queries in GSC when users explicitly signal that visual assets matter to the search journey.
The Regex
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.
?
The question mark usually makes the previous character or group optional. That is handy when a query modifier appears inconsistently.
\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 common visual-format modifiers such as image, photo, and screenshot.
- Creates a segment for image-led and gallery-style demand.
- Helps teams compare visual search intent against text-led educational content.
What it does not match
- seo dashboard gallery - Gallery only matches in the broader variation.
- seo dashboard pricing - No image-led modifier appears.
Edge Cases
- Image-intent queries can still land on text pages, so compare query patterns against page experience.
- Visual modifiers vary by market, so adapt the grouped terms if your audience uses different language.
Example Matches Table
| Query | Match | Why |
|---|---|---|
| search console screenshots | Match | Contains screenshots as a visual modifier. |
| seo dashboard images | Match | Contains images, which signals visual intent. |
| seo dashboard gallery | No | Gallery only matches in the broader variation. |
| seo dashboard pricing | No | No image-led 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
- Track explicit visual-format demand in search queries.
- Find where screenshots, galleries, and image assets could improve capture.
- Compare image-led queries against video and tutorial intent.
Pro Tips
- Image-intent modifiers are especially useful for product, design, and software UI topics.
- Review landing pages to see whether image-led queries reach pages with strong visual assets.
- Use this alongside page performance data to prioritise screenshots and gallery improvements.
- Keep gallery in a variation if you want the base segment to stay tight.
Variations
Include gallery phrasing
Adds another visual-consumption term without changing the overall image-intent focus.
Related Regex Recipes
Regex for Video Intent Queries
Use this regex to capture video-intent queries in GSC when searchers signal that a visual or watchable format may fit the SERP better.
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 powerful in GSC, but manual filtering still leaves you exporting, comparing, and rebuilding the same views. Spicy Metrics turns those segments into reporting your team can reuse.
Turn regex into repeatable reporting