> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.searchable.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Google Search Console Integration

> Connect Google Search Console to enrich your SEO and AEO data

## Overview

Connecting Google Search Console (GSC) to Searchable unlocks powerful insights by combining traditional SEO data with AI visibility metrics. See which keywords drive both Google rankings and AI mentions.

<Info>
  GSC integration is available on Professional, Agency, and Custom plans.
</Info>

## Benefits

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Keyword Insights" icon="key">
    See which keywords perform in both Google and AI platforms
  </Card>

  <Card title="Traffic Correlation" icon="chart-line">
    Understand how SEO and AEO work together
  </Card>

  <Card title="Technical Issues" icon="wrench">
    Identify crawl errors and indexing problems
  </Card>

  <Card title="Performance Tracking" icon="gauge">
    Monitor impressions, clicks, CTR, and position
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### What Data Gets Synced

* **Keywords**: Queries, impressions, clicks, CTR, average position
* **Pages**: Top performing pages and their metrics
* **Countries**: Geographic performance data
* **Devices**: Desktop, mobile, tablet breakdown
* **Search Appearance**: Rich results, AMP, etc.
* **Coverage**: Indexing status and errors
* **Core Web Vitals**: Performance metrics
* **Mobile Usability**: Mobile-specific issues

## Prerequisites

Before connecting GSC to Searchable:

<Check>Have a verified Google Search Console property for your domain</Check>
<Check>Owner or Full User permission in GSC (not just Restricted access)</Check>
<Check>At least 28 days of data in GSC (for meaningful analysis)</Check>
<Check>Searchable Professional, Agency, or Custom plan</Check>

<Warning>
  Restricted Users in GSC cannot connect integrations. You need Owner or Full User access.
</Warning>

## Setup Guide

<Steps>
  <Step title="Navigate to Integrations">
    In your Searchable project:

    1. Go to **Settings**
    2. Click **Integrations**
    3. Find **Google Search Console**
    4. Click **Connect**
  </Step>

  <Step title="Authenticate with Google">
    A popup window opens:

    1. Select your Google account
    2. Review permissions requested
    3. Click **Allow**

    **Permissions needed:**

    * View Search Console data
    * View and manage your properties

    <Info>
      Searchable only reads data - we never modify your GSC settings or data.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select Property">
    Choose the GSC property to connect:

    **Property Types:**

    * **Domain property**: Recommended (covers all subdomains and protocols)
    * **URL prefix**: Only covers specific protocol and subdomain

    <Tip>
      If you have both types, choose the Domain property for complete coverage.
    </Tip>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure Sync Settings">
    Set your preferences:

    **Sync Frequency:**

    * Hourly (recommended for most users)
    * Daily (for large sites to reduce API usage)
    * Manual (sync on-demand only)

    **Data Range:**

    * Last 7 days
    * Last 28 days (recommended)
    * Last 90 days (maximum)

    **Filters:**

    * Include/exclude specific queries
    * Country filters
    * Device type filters
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run Initial Sync">
    Click **"Start Initial Sync"**

    * First sync takes 2-5 minutes
    * You'll receive an email when complete
    * Data appears in Analytics tab

    <Note>
      Initial sync imports the full date range. Subsequent syncs only import new data.
    </Note>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify Connection">
    Confirm everything is working:

    1. Go to **Analytics** tab
    2. Look for GSC data widgets
    3. Check "Last Synced" timestamp
    4. Verify data looks accurate
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Using GSC Data in Searchable

### Keyword Analysis

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/searchable/Zyms3YY9H2Yf2QTr/images/gsc-keywords-placeholder.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Zyms3YY9H2Yf2QTr&q=85&s=99238d7516b289f8f1dd5211e6416a15" alt="GSC Keywords in Searchable" width="1295" height="853" data-path="images/gsc-keywords-placeholder.png" />
</Frame>

**Combined View:**

* See which keywords rank in Google AND get AI mentions
* Identify high-potential keywords with good SEO but no AI presence
* Find keywords where AI visibility exceeds Google rankings

**Optimization Opportunities:**

* Keywords with high impressions but low AI visibility
* Keywords ranking well in AI but not in Google
* High-CTR keywords to target with content

### Page Performance

**Metrics per Page:**

* Google impressions and clicks
* AI mention frequency
* Combined visibility score
* Traffic sources breakdown

**Insights:**

* Which pages drive most organic traffic
* Which pages get AI citations
* Content gaps and opportunities
* Pages needing optimization

### Search Analytics

**Filters and Segmentation:**

* By date range
* By device (mobile, desktop, tablet)
* By country
* By search appearance
* By query type

**Exports:**

* CSV download of all data
* Custom reports
* Scheduled email reports

## Data Refresh Schedule

| Plan         | Sync Frequency | Historical Data | Real-time Updates |
| ------------ | -------------- | --------------- | ----------------- |
| Professional | Hourly         | 90 days         | Yes               |
| Agency       | Real-time      | Unlimited       | Yes               |
| Custom       | Real-time      | Custom          | Yes + API         |

<Info>
  Google Search Console data has a 2-3 day delay from Google. This is a GSC limitation, not Searchable.
</Info>

## Understanding the Combined Dashboard

### SEO + AEO Correlation

**High SEO, High AEO** (Top Right Quadrant)

* Your best performing content
* Maintain and expand on these topics
* Use as templates for new content

**High SEO, Low AEO** (Top Left Quadrant)

* Good traditional SEO but AI models don't cite you
* Opportunity: Optimize for AI visibility
* Add structured data, improve answer formats

**Low SEO, High AEO** (Bottom Right Quadrant)

* AI models cite you but Google rank is low
* Opportunity: Improve traditional SEO
* Build backlinks, optimize technical SEO

**Low SEO, Low AEO** (Bottom Left Quadrant)

* Content needs comprehensive optimization
* Consider rewriting or consolidating
* May not be worth the effort vs. creating new content

### Traffic Attribution

See how traffic sources contribute:

<CodeGroup>
  ```text Example: Traffic Breakdown theme={null}
  Total Organic Traffic: 10,000 visitors/month

  From Google Search: 8,500 (85%)
  From AI Platforms: 1,200 (12%)
  From Other Search: 300 (3%)

  AI-Referred Conversion Rate: 4.2%
  Google-Referred Conversion Rate: 2.8%
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Connection Failed">
    **Common Causes:**

    * Insufficient GSC permissions
    * Account not verified in GSC
    * Using personal vs. organizational account

    **Solutions:**

    * Verify you have Owner or Full User access
    * Check property is verified in GSC
    * Try using a different Google account
    * Clear browser cookies and retry
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="No Data Showing">
    **Possible Reasons:**

    * Recently created property (needs 28 days of data)
    * Wrong property selected
    * Filters excluding all data
    * Sync hasn't completed yet

    **Check:**

    * Property has data in GSC directly
    * Selected correct property in Searchable
    * Sync status shows "Connected"
    * Last sync timestamp is recent
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Sync Errors">
    **Error Messages:**

    * "Rate limit exceeded": Wait 1 hour, then retry
    * "Property not found": Re-verify property ownership in GSC
    * "Authentication expired": Disconnect and reconnect
    * "Insufficient permissions": Check GSC access level

    **Solution:**
    Most sync errors resolve by:

    1. Disconnecting integration
    2. Clearing browser cache
    3. Reconnecting with fresh authentication
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Data Doesn't Match GSC">
    **Why Data May Differ:**

    * Time zone differences
    * Date range selection
    * Filters applied in Searchable
    * GSC data still processing
    * Different aggregation methods

    **What to Do:**

    * Verify same date range in both platforms
    * Check timezone settings match
    * Remove any active filters
    * Allow 24 hours for data to fully sync
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Privacy & Data Handling

**What Searchable Stores:**

* Keyword and page performance metrics
* Aggregated statistics only
* No personally identifiable information
* No individual search query data

**Data Retention:**

* Pro: 90 days of historical data
* Agency: Unlimited retention
* Custom: Custom retention windows

**Data Deletion:**

* Disconnect integration to stop new data sync
* Historical data deleted after 30 days
* Immediate deletion available on request

## Advanced Features

### Custom Dimensions (Custom)

Create custom segments:

* By branded vs. non-branded keywords
* By commercial intent
* By content type
* By funnel stage

### Automated Alerts

Get notified when:

* Ranking drops significantly
* New high-volume keywords discovered
* CTR falls below threshold
* Impressions surge or drop

### API Access

Query GSC data via Searchable API:

<CodeGroup>
  ```javascript Example: Fetch GSC Keywords theme={null}
  const response = await fetch(
    'https://api.searchable.com/v1/gsc/keywords',
    {
      headers: {
        'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY',
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        projectId: 'your-project-id',
        dateRange: 'last28days',
        limit: 100
      })
    }
  );

  const data = await response.json();
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Best Practices

<Check>Sync at least 28 days of data for reliable trends</Check>
<Check>Review GSC insights weekly alongside AI visibility data</Check>
<Check>Use keyword gaps to inform content strategy</Check>
<Check>Monitor both SEO and AEO for complete picture</Check>
<Check>Set up alerts for significant ranking changes</Check>
<Check>Export data monthly for stakeholder reports</Check>

## GSC + Searchable Use Cases

### Content Gap Analysis

1. Identify keywords with high impressions, low clicks
2. Check if AI models cite you for those keywords
3. If yes: Optimize for Google (improve title, meta, CTR)
4. If no: Create better content that answers the query

### Competitive Research

1. Find keywords where you rank on page 2-3
2. Check if competitors get AI citations
3. Create superior content optimized for both
4. Track progress in unified dashboard

### ROI Measurement

1. Track organic traffic from GSC
2. Measure AI-referred traffic
3. Calculate conversion rates for each
4. Determine which channel drives more value

## Disconnecting GSC

To disconnect Google Search Console:

1. Go to Settings → Integrations
2. Find Google Search Console
3. Click **"Disconnect"**
4. Confirm disconnect

**What Happens:**

* No new data is synced
* Historical data preserved for 30 days
* Can reconnect anytime
* No impact on your actual GSC account

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Google Analytics 4" icon="google" href="/integrations/google-analytics-4">
    Add GA4 for complete traffic insights
  </Card>

  <Card title="Keyword Strategy" icon="key" href="/using-searchable/working-with-prompts">
    Optimize your keyword approach
  </Card>

  <Card title="Score Benchmarks" icon="chart-mixed" href="/using-searchable/understanding-scores">
    Master the analytics dashboard
  </Card>

  <Card title="API Documentation" icon="code" href="/api-reference/introduction">
    Access data programmatically
  </Card>
</CardGroup>