James G
Founder
November 7, 20259 min read
Why Search Data Matters for Product
Every month, billions of searches reveal exactly what people want. This data is a goldmine for product planning:
- Unfiltered demand: Users aren't influenced by your marketing
- Scale: Aggregate patterns from millions of searches
- Intent: Understand not just what, but why
- Trends: See emerging needs before competitors
What Google Search Console Reveals
GSC provides free access to your search data:
Queries People Use
See the exact phrases people search to find you:
- Feature requests ("product + feature name")
- Pain points ("how to solve X")
- Comparisons ("your product vs competitor")
Click-Through Rates
Low CTR on important queries means:
- Your title/description doesn't resonate
- Users aren't finding what they need
- Opportunity to improve messaging
Search Position
Track how you rank for key terms:
- Monitor movement over time
- Identify quick wins (positions 4-10)
- Find gaps where you don't rank at all
Turning Search Data into Product Decisions
Step 1: Export Your GSC Data
Download queries for the last 3-6 months:
- Sort by impressions
- Filter for product-related terms
- Identify patterns
Step 2: Categorize Queries
Group searches by intent:
| Intent Type | Example Query | Product Action |
|---|---|---|
| Feature Request | "product + dark mode" | Add to backlog |
| Pain Point | "how to export from product" | Improve UX |
| Comparison | "product vs competitor" | Create comparison page |
| Question | "does product do X" | Add to FAQ or build feature |
Step 3: Prioritize by Volume
High-impression queries = high demand:
- 10K+ impressions: Priority 1
- 1K-10K impressions: Priority 2
- Under 1K: Consider carefully
Automating GSC Integration
Manually analyzing GSC is time-consuming. Tools like reBacklog can:
- Connect directly to your GSC account
- Automatically categorize queries
- Generate user stories from search data
- Prioritize based on search volume
How It Works
From Search to Stories
Example transformation:
Search Query: "how to export trello cards to spreadsheet" (2.4K monthly impressions) AI-Generated Story:As a Trello user,
I want to export my cards to a spreadsheet,
So that I can analyze my data offline.
Search Volume: 2.4K/month
Competition: Medium
Opportunity Score: High
This article was generated by SeoMate - AI-powered SEO content generation.
