Google Introduced "Query Groups" in Search Console Insights

On October 27, 2025, Google rolled out “Query Groups”, a Search Console Insights feature that consolidates query variations using AI, replacing fragmented query lists with organized clusters that reveal core audience interests.

Query Groups displays three views: 

• top-performing groups by clicks, 
• trending up groups with the largest increases, and
• trending down groups showing the sharpest declines.

Each group shows total clicks, lists member queries sorted by volume, and allows drill-down to individual query data.

The feature addresses a fundamental analytics challenge: identical user intents fragment across dozens of query strings. 

Searches such as: 

• "best noise canceling headphones," 
• "top rated noise cancelling headphones," 
• "which noise canceling headphones to buy," and 
• "noise cancelling headphones recommendations" 

Now appear as a single group with aggregate performance metrics.

What Changes

You get faster pattern recognition without manual query categorization. The highest-traffic query in each group appears first as an identifier, making it immediately clear what each cluster represents.

But you lose granular control. Google's AI decides which queries are "similar enough" to group together, and those decisions shape your view of search demand. 

The AI system might group "buy running shoes" and "how running shoes work" together, even though one is commercial and one is informational. 

The groupings also shift over time, so when you see traffic changes, you won't know if real user behavior changed or if Google just rearranged which queries belong in which group.

What Matters Now

The feature rolls out gradually over the coming weeks to properties with substantial query volume. It appears as a new card in Search Console Insights and doesn't affect rankings.

When it arrives, compare Google's clusters against your own keyword categories. Mismatches reveal how Google interprets search intent differently from how you structure content. 

Don't abandon standard query analysis. Query Groups provides useful overviews, but you still need individual query data for actual optimization decisions. 

This feature continues Google's pattern of adding AI layers between your data and your insights. It solves real problems but trades convenience for control; it works only if Google's grouping logic matches how you think about your content.