Configuring Google Search Console

Overview

Google Search Console provides valuable data about your website's performance in Google Search results. By connecting your Search Console properties, you can export search performance data to Google Sheets for further analysis and reporting.

Prerequisites

Before you can configure Google Search Console, make sure you have:

• Connected your Google account (see Connecting Your Google Account)
• Granted Search Console access permissions to your account
• At least one website property verified in Google Search Console
• Connected at least one Google Sheet or BigQuery destination (see Configuring Google Sheets or Configuring Google BigQuery)

Adding Search Console Properties

To export data from Google Search Console, you first need to select which website properties you want to connect:

1. Access the Google Integration Dashboard

   From your account dashboard, navigate to Apps > Google Integration.

2. Find the Search Console Section

   In the Google Integration dashboard, locate the Search Console section.

   

   The Search Console section in the Google Integration dashboard

3. Add a Search Console Property

   Click the "Add Site" button to open the site selection dialog.

4. Select a Website Property

   From the dropdown menu, select the website property you want to connect. The list shows all properties you have access to in Google Search Console.

   

   The site selection dialog showing available Search Console properties

5. Confirm Your Selection

   Click the "Add Site" button to connect the selected property to your account.

Managing Connected Properties

After connecting Search Console properties, you can manage them from the Google Integration dashboard:

Creating Search Console Exports

Once you've connected your Search Console properties, you can create exports to send data to Google Sheets:

1. Navigate to the Export Builder from your dashboard
2. Click "Create New Export"
3. Select "Google Search Console" as the data source
4. Choose the Search Console property you want to export data from
5. Select a Google Sheet as the destination
6. Configure the export settings (see below)
7. Set up a schedule for the export
8. Click "Create Export" to save your configuration

For detailed instructions on creating exporters, see our Creating Data Exporters guide.

Search Console Export Settings

When configuring a Search Console export, you'll have several options to customize what data is exported:

Basic Settings

Configure the fundamental settings for your export:

• Export Name: A descriptive name to identify your export
• Date Range: Select how much historical data to include:
  • Last day
  • Last 7 days
  • Last 30 days
  • Last 90 days (maximum available in Search Console)
  • Custom range: exact start and end dates (maximum 1 year). One-time / manual only: scheduled runs are paused; use Run now. Google Search Console still only returns data for the period the API allows, so a custom window cannot go beyond what Google exposes.

Dimension Tabs

Search Console exports are organized by dimensions, with each dimension creating a separate tab in your Google Sheet. The interface uses a tab-based layout where you can configure each dimension independently:

The tab interface for configuring different dimensions

Available dimensions include:

• Query: The search terms users entered
• Page: The pages on your site that appeared in search results
• Country: The countries where users searched from
• Device: The device types users searched on (desktop, mobile, tablet)
• Date: Performance data broken down by date

For each dimension tab, you can:

• Enable/Disable: Choose whether to include this dimension in your export by selecting metrics
• Set Data Handling: Choose whether to append new data or replace existing data
• Select Metrics: Choose which performance metrics to include for this dimension

Metrics Selection

For each dimension, you can select which metrics to include in your export:

The metrics selection interface for a dimension

Available metrics include:

• Clicks: When a user clicks through to your site from search results
• Impressions: How many times your site appeared in search results
• CTR (Click-Through Rate): The percentage of impressions that resulted in clicks
• Position: The average ranking position in search results

You can use the "Select All" and "Deselect All" buttons to quickly manage your metric selections.

Data Handling

For each dimension tab, you can choose how to handle the exported data:

• Replace (default): Each export run will clear existing data and replace it with new data
• Append: Each export run will add new data rows without removing existing data

The append option is particularly useful for building historical datasets beyond Search Console's 90-day limit. When enabled, each export adds new rows to the destination and leaves existing rows. When disabled, the destination is fully refreshed and existing data is removed.

Best Practices

• Regular Exports: Set up daily or weekly exports to build a historical dataset beyond Search Console's 90-day limit
• Multiple Dimensions: Create exports with different dimensions to analyze your search performance from various angles
• Focus on Key Metrics: For large sites, focus on top queries and pages to avoid hitting Google Sheets' size limits
• Combine with Analytics: Create complementary exports from Google Analytics to correlate search visibility with on-site behavior
• Custom Dashboards: Use Google Sheets' charting capabilities to create custom SEO dashboards with your exported data

Troubleshooting