How to Link Google Analytics to Google Search Console

How to Link Google Analytics to Google Search Console

Date & Time
July 31, 2023
Reading time
6 mins
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Lopamudra Barik

Do you want to know how your website ranks in Google searches?

Google Search Console allows you to monitor your site's visibility in Google search results. By connecting your Google Analytics account to Google Search Console, you can evaluate your SEO rankings alongside other Analytics data.

 

You may use this integration to incorporate Search Console data into your Analytics reports. Organic search behaviour analytics, such as goal completions, for landing pages, devices, and nations are all in one spot. For example, you can look at landing pages or searches that have a low CTR and make better decisions on how to optimize your SERP pages.

What is google search console?

Google Search Console is a "no-cost service" that allows you to discover a lot about your website and the people that visit it.

You can use it to learn how many people visit your site, how they find it, if they are more likely to visit on a mobile device or a desktop computer, and which pages on your site are the most popular. It can also help you detect and fix website issues, publish a sitemap, and create and check the robots.txt file.

What is google analytics?

You are not alone, whichis wonderful news. Google Analytics is really complex.

 

Google Analytics gives you a detailed breakdown of the performance of your website and/or app. It integrates with all of Google's marketing products (including Google Ads, Data Studio, and Search Console), making it a popular alternative for anyone who uses several Google tools.

 

Google Analytics is a good choice if you want a lot of information and have the time and abilities to analyse and run it. GA is unquestionably time-consuming; understanding its capabilities, maintaining campaigns, and utilizing its data all require effort and skill.

 

How to Link Google Analytics to Google Search Console

Google Analytics and Google Search Console may appear to provide the same data. There are, however, some significant distinctions between these two Google services.

 

Google Analytics provides more information about who is visiting your site – how many visitors you have, how they arrived at your site, how much time they spend on your site, and where your visitors are coming from (geographically).

 

Google Search Console is all about delivering more detailed information, such as who is linking to your site, whether there is malware or other issues on your site, and which keywords your site appears for in search results.

 

Google Analytics and Search Console do not react the same way to information. If you think you're looking at the same report, you might not be seeing the same information. You can link the accounts for Search Console and Google Analytics to get the most out of the information provided by each.

So, let's get started:

 

Step 1 - Submit Your Website to Google Search Console

If you already have an account, proceed to the following section: allowing Google Analytics to import Search Console data. To create a Search Console account, navigate to Search Console and select 'Add Property.' Then enter your website's domain or URL prefix.

Following that, you must demonstrate ownership of your website.

Verifying that you own our website is critical in Search Console. You can finish this in a variety ofways:

  • Upload an HTML file
  • HTML code
  • Domain name registrar
  • Google Analytics is a web analytics tool

Google's recommended method is HTML file upload. Google sends you a file that you must upload to your website. The upload will then be verified, and your ownership will be confirmed. The only problem with this method is that anyone with access to your site can easily remove the file. Your developers may possibly erase it by mistake.

HTML tag: Search Console gives you with an HTML tag that you may put to your website. Google can authenticate your ownership once it is in place. However, much as with the HTML file upload, someone could mistakenly delete your HTML tag when making modifications to the site, and you'll lose the connection.

Domain name provider: You will choose a supplier from a lengthy dropdown menu. If you're not sure how to find your domain host, Google provides records that can help.

Google Tag Manager: For this to work, you must be utilizing the container snippet and have "Manage" access in Google Tag Manager. If this is the case, you can proceed by clicking the verify button.

Step 2 - Add Google Analytics Code to Your Website

Log in to your Google Analytics account and click 'Admin' in the bottom left-hand column. Choose the appropriate Account and Property, then select 'Tracking Info' in the middle column labelled 'Property.'

On this page, there is a box with several lines of code. Make sure you copy the entire tracking code, beginning with script> and ending with /script>.

 

Log into your CMS to obtain the HTML code for your website. The script is often placed at the top of your internet page, just before the /head> tag, which occurs on each page that you wish to track. Check the configuration of your CMS to ensure appropriate installation.

 

Step 3: Connect Google Search Console to Google Analytics

By connecting Search Console and Google Analytics, you can better understand how rankings and specific keywords affect organic performance and user behaviour on your website. Here's how to connect Google Search Console with Google Analytics.

  • You may gain a better understanding of how rankings and specific keywords effect organic performance and user behaviour on your website by linking Search Console and Google Analytics. This is how to link Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
  • Navigate to the property where you wish to enable Search Console data and click Property Settings in the Property column.
  • Scroll down to Search Console Settings and select the Adjust Search Console button. It should display automatically if you have already confirmed your site in Search Console with the same email address.
  • Select the reporting view in which you wish to access Search Console data and then click Save.
  • Choose the reporting view from which you want to retrieve Search Console data, then click Save.

 

Locating Google Search Console Data in Google Analytics

After completing the above steps, you will have access to several excellent Search Console reports directly within the Google Analytics acquisition report.

To get these reports, navigate to Acquisition > Search Console in GA's left hand dash.

The following reports are now available to you:

Landing Pages

This tells you which pages users visit when they arrive at your site via Google searches. When you click on a specific page URL, you may see what search terms brought those users to that page.

Countries

The Countries report indicates the source of your traffic. When you click on a country, you can see what landing pages those people are arriving at. When you click on a resultant landing page, you will be able to dive back into search queries.

Devices

The Devices report will show you how people search for your company on desktop computers, mobile phones, and tablets.

Queries

The queries report informs you of the search terms (also known as keywords) for which Google displays your website in search results. We particularly enjoy the Average Position data, which shows our average ranking in search results for a specific term.

Conclusion

There you have it! You now understand how to connect Google Analytics and Search Console and locate the resulting reports in GA. If you still need more information on how your website performs in search, have a look at our Google Search Console guide.

 

If you want to learn how to make sense of all the data in GA and GSC, one of our coaches can show you how to extract meaningful insights from your website's data. All you have to do is enrol in one of our guided SEO services.

FAQ

What is the significance of linking Google Analytics to Google Search Console?

Linking Google Analytics to Google Search Console allows you to combine data from both tools, providing deeper insights into your website's performance, organic search traffic, user behavior, and search queries. This integration enables you to make informed decisions to optimize your website for better search engine visibility.

Are there any prerequisites for linking Google Analytics to Google Search Console?

es, before linking the two tools, you need to have an active Google Analytics account and a verified property in Google Search Console for the website you want to track. Both accounts should be associated with the same Google account for the linking process.

How do I link Google Analytics to Google Search Console?

Follow these steps to link Google Analytics to Google Search Console: 1. Sign in to your Google Analytics account. 2. Go to the Admin section of your Google Analytics property. 3. In the Property column, click on "Google Search Console." 4. Click on the "Set up Search Console data sharing" button. 5. Select the website property you want to link and click on "Save."

Can I link multiple websites to the same Google Analytics account and Search Console property?

Yes, you can link multiple websites to the same Google Analytics account and Search Console property. Ensure that each website has a verified property in Google Search Console before linking.

Can I use Google Analytics and Google Search Console independently if they are not linked?

Yes, you can use Google Analytics and Google Search Console independently even if they are not linked. Each tool provides valuable information about your website's performance and user behavior, but the integration enhances the depth of insights available.

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