- An active query is a query that generated at least one click over the period.
- The number of active queries measures the breadth of visibility, where average position measures it poorly.
- Its growth is the best indicator of content work that pays off.
Definition
Active queries count the distinct search expressions that generated at least one click to the site.
Worked example
A site goes from 340 to 780 active queries in six months while its average position degrades from 9.4 to 15.1. Yet traffic rose 60%: the site started answering many more questions, each ranked slightly worse than the initial core. It's a success that average position presents as a failure.
Orders of magnitude
No absolute benchmark: the number depends on site size and industry. What matters is the growth, and the ratio of active queries to queries with impressions.
The most common mistakes
- Confusing active queries with queries with impressions. The latter are far more numerous and don't measure the same thing.
- Not removing brand traffic. A few brand queries are enough to mask the change in the rest.
- Comparing periods of different lengths. The number of active queries grows mechanically with the observed duration.
Where to find the metric
In Search Console, the Performance report: the number of rows in the queries table filtered on at least one click. To export for tracking over time, the interface doesn't show it as a metric.
Frequently asked questions
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