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Questions Report

The Questions Report isolates queries that begin with a question word — who, what, when, where, why, how, can, should, does, do, is, are. Question queries are the workhorse of search intent: they're explicit, high-coverage in featured snippets and AI overviews, and excellent fuel for FAQ blocks, supporting articles, and topical depth that builds site-wide authority. This report is what you bring to your editorial planning session.

What it measures

Each row is a search query whose first word is a question word — who, what, when, where, why, how, can, should, does, do, is, are. Standard Search Console columns: clicks, impressions, CTR, average position. Even queries with a single impression are kept because the value here is signal, not volume.

How we compute it

  1. From the daily query data for the selected window, we keep every query whose leading word (case-insensitive) is one of the question words listed above.
  2. We group by query, sum clicks/impressions, and compute the impression-weighted average position.
  3. Results are sorted descending by impressions.

Scenarios you'll see

Featured-snippet target

"how do I X" with high impressions and middling CTR. The SERP almost certainly has a featured snippet — write a 40–55 word direct answer right under an H2 phrased exactly as the question.

Net-new article

A question you don't currently rank well for (position > 30) but that has impressions. Build a dedicated explainer page; long-form Q&A pages continue to perform on Google.

FAQ block candidate

A short, low-volume question closely related to a page you already have. Add it to the page's FAQ schema block — small individual win, but they compound into topical authority.

AI-overview consumed

Position 1–3 but CTR is well below the curve. Likely an AI overview is summarising the answer above the blue links. Audit the SERP visually; lean into schema and brand recognition rather than expecting traditional clicks.

People-also-ask leak

Question with growing impressions over time even though you rank deep. Often the result of being included in PAA accordions; treat as a topical authority signal — write the dedicated answer.

Editorial pivot

A surprising question you didn't know your audience asked. Use it as the kernel of a new content angle, especially if it's commercially adjacent.

What to do with it

  1. Cluster questions by topic and decide: dedicated article, FAQ block, or rewrite of an existing section.
  2. For pages you already have, add the literal question as an H2 and a concise direct answer immediately below.
  3. Add FAQPage schema to pages with multiple Q&A pairs to compete for rich results.
  4. Re-check the report monthly — your editorial backlog is generated for free.

Caveats & limits

  • The regex is English-only and matches the leading word. Questions phrased as statements ("difference between X and Y") won't appear here — see Long-tail Keywords.
  • Question queries are increasingly cannibalised by AI overviews. Expect impressions to grow while CTR softens; this is industry-wide.
  • Position averages are noisier on low-impression questions. Trust the higher-volume rows for prioritisation.

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