Why Yandex Metrica shows so few queries
Search engines stopped passing the query text to websites when someone clicks through from organic results. Metrica can tell that a visit came from Google or Yandex search, but in most cases it has no idea what the person typed.
A small share of phrases still slips into the report. That share shifts over time and depends on the browser and source, so it is not a representative sample. In Uzbekistan the gap is even more visible, because a large part of searching happens on Google, and Google queries are effectively closed to analytics tools.
Where to find the real search queries
The complete data sits with the search engines themselves, and it is free for site owners.
- Yandex Webmaster: impressions, clicks, CTR and average position for each phrase, including phrases where your site appeared but nobody clicked.
- Google Search Console, performance report: queries, pages, countries and devices.
- Your own site search: what visitors type on your website, if you have configured it in Metrica.
Connecting a query to behaviour and a lead
You will not get a direct link from one query to one specific enquiry. What works is a detour through the landing page. First, check in Webmaster and Search Console which phrases bring clicks to a given page. Then open the landing pages report in Metrica, keep only search traffic, and look at bounce rate, depth of visit and goal completions.
This only works well when the site is organised cleanly: one page for one group of queries. If a single page attracts people who want to buy, people who want to compare and people who want reviews, the conclusions blur. In that case, split pages by intent first.
A small business example
Say a home appliance shop in Tashkent runs a blog. An article on how to choose a washing machine collects clicks for informational phrases but brings almost no enquiries. That is normal for an article. What matters is something else: does the text link to the catalogue, is the phone number visible, does the Telegram order button actually work. Session recordings in Metrica show where people stopped, and Webmaster explains why they came at all.
What the Metrica report is still good for
You do not need to throw it away, only to stop leaning on it. It works as a source of ideas: now and then an unexpected wording appears that can grow into a new page. It lets you study behaviour for the phrases that are visible. And it shows queries from sources that do pass the text along.
The key rule is not to judge demand from a handful of visible phrases. That is a small and skewed sample. Even if those phrases show good numbers, you cannot extend that to your whole keyword set.
How to report this to management
In a monthly report, do not present the Metrica phrase list as the queries that brought customers. It misleads the owner. Separate the sources instead. Take queries, clicks and positions from Webmaster and Search Console. Take visits from the search channel, goals and leads from Metrica. And keep organic apart from ads: paid campaigns have their own reports on targeting conditions and search queries, which follow different logic.
If you need help connecting Metrica, Webmaster and Search Console, or restructuring pages around real queries, markdev works on SEO optimisation in Uzbekistan. You are welcome to describe your task and we can work out where to start.
FAQ
Why does Yandex Metrica show so few search queries?
Search engines do not send the query text to sites when users arrive from organic results. Metrica knows the source of the visit but not the phrase, so the report is always incomplete.
Where can I see Yandex and Google search queries?
Yandex queries are in Yandex Webmaster and Google queries are in Google Search Console. Both show impressions, clicks, CTR and positions.
Can I tell which query produced a specific lead?
Not directly. A practical method is to take a page's queries from Webmaster and Search Console and compare them with that page's conversions in the Metrica landing pages report.
Should I set up site search tracking in Metrica?
Yes, it is useful. Internal queries show what visitors could not find through your menu and hint at pages or sections you should add.
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