Freitag, 4. August 2017

HowTo guide: filter Search Console for multiple values at once

Setting of multiple filters in the Google Search Console is possible!

how to setup multiple filters in search console

Yes, against different answers of some experts in the Google product forum, like here or there. The possibility to set multiple filters is extremely useful and works into both directions - you can include or exclude multiple keywords, urls, traffic sources - anything, what you want.

We will operate with filter settings through manipulation of urls. You'll need for this a good code editor - good means Notepad++, one magic plugin for it, and, surely, a bit of chutzpah - yeah, we'll do the big G, nothing less!

Setting up of multiple keyword filters in Search Console

To show an example i go into the Search Console of this website and set two filters in the Search Analytics:
  • Dates: last 90 days
  • Queries: queries not containing seo 
Now lets copy the url of the Search Console page. It looks like:
https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/search-analytics?hl=en&siteUrl=http://undead-seo.blogspot.com/#state=%5Bnull%2C%5B%5Bnull%2Cnull%2Cnull%2C90%5D%5D%2Cnull%2C%5B%5Bnull%2C2%2C%5B%22seo%22%5D%2C2%2C1%5D%2C%5Bnull%2C6%2C%5B%22WEB%22%5D%5D%5D%2Cnull%2C%5B1%5D%2C1%2C0%2Cnull%2C%5B2%5D%5D 
What is this the damn Khuzdûlish speak? Don't wonder, it is just a percent encoding - looks weird, specially for experts in Google product forums, so they mean, it would be the bad silicon mojo. Not for us - cause we have Notepad++ and MIME Tools Plugin by Don HO the Almighty.

I presume, you already installed and opened both magic tools? If not - run and do it, i have not much time. If yes, paste your (or my example) url into a new Notepad++ document and lets look further.

Do you realized in the example url a little pattern #state=? Yes? Good!
  • Highlight everything AFTER this pattern (after equal sign) to url end,
  • Go to Plugins,
  • Select newly installed MIME Tools,
  • Select URL Decode, like on screenshot:
multiple keyword and/or url values at filtering search console

Do you believe your eyes? Yeah, you see it, you hacker! The url looks now like:
https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/search-analytics?hl=en&siteUrl=http://undead-seo.blogspot.com/#state=[null,[[null,null,null,90]],null,[[null,2,["seo"],2,1],[null,6,["WEB"]]],null,[1],1,0,null,[2]]
Look at this pattern
[null,2,["seo"],2,1]
To setup additional keyword to this filter, extend this pattern to
[null,2,["seo"],2,1],[null,2,["google"],2,1] 
This will add the second keyword to excluding filter we setup at the beginning.

Then
  • highlight again the whole url part after #state= to the url end,
  • go to plugins/MIME Tools,
  • select URL encode.
The url looks now like:
https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/search-analytics?hl=en&siteUrl=http://undead-seo.blogspot.com/#state=%5Bnull,%5B%5Bnull,null,null,90%5D%5D,null,%5B%5Bnull,2,%5B%22seo%22%5D,2,1%5D,%5Bnull,2,%5B%22google%22%5D,2,1%5D,%5Bnull,6,%5B%22WEB%22%5D%5D%5D,null,%5B1%5D,1,0,null,%5B2%5D%5D
Now paste this url into your browser, enter and see the wonder - the search console GUI doesn't show both keyword, but they are both filtered out from the output, thats for sure!

Setting up multiple values in keyword and url filter in the Search Console

The same or similar game you can play with both of excluding or including multiple values - the filter with including patter looks like
[null,2,["seo"],2,0]
Do you see the difference?
  • Exclude value: [null,2,["seo"],2,1]
  • Include value: [null,2,["seo"],2,0]
Nothing complicated ;)

Do you want play with urls? Nothing is impossible!
  • Exclude value: [null,3,["seo"],2,1]
  • Include value: [null,3,["seo"],2,0]
Are you fully nuts and want make multiple filters for both of keywords and urls? You give me the creeps, but ok:
  • Include multiple keywords, exclude multiple urls: [null,2,["seo"],2,0],[null,2,["google"],2,0],[null,3,["google"],2,1],[null,3,["seo"],2,1]
No-no - i know, you want some more weird examples - but they will be your home task, you Google hacker!

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