Linking Google Search Console and Google Analytics is important for your traffic analysis.
When the data is available from both these tools at one place, you can analyze 2 important things:-
- How Google interacts with your website?
- How users interact with your website?
Basically, linking Google Search Console with Google Analytics provides a deepdive into your SEO data, resulting in better decision making.
A. Before you start
Make sure you have your website connected to Google Search Console.
Google Search Console (or GSC) gives deep insights of how Google sees & rewards your website.
It tells you the website performance in terms of organic rankings, keywords, impressions, clicks etc. In fact, a part of this data is what we are interested to see within Google Analytics.
If you are yet to start using GSC, read our blog on how to set up Google Search Console for your website.
Your Google Analytics and Search Console should be using the same Gmail ID, in order to get linked.
B. How to link Google Analytics to Search Console?
Once you have verified your website in GSC, it’s time to log into Google Analytics.
Step 1: After you log into Google Analytics, click on the admin tab on the bottom left hand side of Google Analytics menu option.
Step 2: Now, click on ‘Property settings’ under heading ‘Property’ in the admin tab.
Step 3: The next step is to scroll down until you can see ‘Search Console’ written. Cick the ‘Adjust Search Console’ button right under where ‘Search Console’ is written.
Step 4: You will now have access to Search Console settings. Click on the blue text that says ‘Add’.
Step 5: You will now be redirected towards a window called ‘Enable Google Search Console data in Google Analytics’.
Click on the site that you want to link to Google Analytics and then click on ‘Save’.
Step 6: A pop up will come asking you to confirm to this new association. Click on ‘OK’.
Step 7: Now return to Search Console Settings in Google Analytics and refresh the page. After that, your website should appear under ‘Enabled views‘dropdown. If it does, that means Search Console is linked to Google Analytics.
Step 8: You can also confirm the same by going to Property Column in the Admin view of Google Analytics and click on All Products. You see a green check mark under Search Console.
C. Finding Google Search Console data in Google Analytics
Once your Search Console is linked to Google Analytics, you will have access to GSC reports.
You just need to click on the Search Console on the left hand side under the Acquisition tab in Google Analytics.
Below we have talked about such reports.
1. Landing Pages:
In this report, you can find the pages that people are visiting on your site after running a Google search. And if you click on a particular web URL, you will be given a list of search queries that brought people to these URLs.
2. Countries:
This report tells you the countries from where your website is receiving organic traffic. If you click on a country, you will be directed towards landing pages. And if you click on a landing page, you will be shown search queries.
3. Devices
This report shows you how people are searching your website using desktop, computers, mobile phones and tablets.
4. Queries
This report shows you what search terms/keywords people are typing in Google to find your website. Also, it shows you the average position your website is ranking for the search queries.
Conclusion
Hope this article helps you learn how to link the Google Search Console with Google Analytics; and the kind of reports you can find after linking the two tools.