Google Search Console is a tool created by Google to help you measure your website’s search traffic and performance, generate reports, fix issues, and help rank higher in Google’s search results.

Google Analytics is another tool created by Google that helps measure your advertising Return-on-Investment (ROI) as well as track your social networking sites and applications, Flash, and video on your site. Google Analytics gives you an in-depth view about the audience of your website, including location, demographics, and their behavior while on your website.

Connecting Google Search Console to Google Analytics allows you the ability to see how many people are visiting your site, whether they’re using a desktop computer or mobile device, how they’re finding your website, and which pages on your website are being visited most often. The data compiled keeps your users’ information anonymous, and is only collecting the data, not their personal information.

Submit your website to Google Search Console

The first step to connecting Google Search Console to Google Analytics is to first verify your website. This essential step allows you to create a direct communication with Google, so you are able to see the keywords driving traffic to your site and more.

If you haven’t verified your website, you can learn how here.

Add Google Analytics code to your website

First, make sure that you’re logging in to the same Google account with both. Once you’re in Google Analytics, access the Property Settings by clicking on Admin (the little cog icon in the bottom left of your screen). Looking at the dashboard, you’ll see ‘Tracking Info’. This will give you a Tracking Code to put in the header of your website.

Link Google Analytics to Google Search Console

Now that you’ve verified your website with Google Search Console and installed the Google Analytics tracking code, it’s time to actually link to Google Analytics. Going back to the Admin section of Google Search Console, navigate to ‘Property Settings’ and then ‘Adjust Search Console’. Since you’ve used the same email address when verifying your site in Google Search Console, it will automatically appear. Adjust the ‘Enabled Views’ on the next screen, click save, and you’re done!

Finding information in Google Search Console

Now that you’ve successfully connected Google Analytics and Google Search Console, you can access reports in the Google Analytics Acquisition Report. You’ll be able to see analytics reports for:

Landing Pages

This tells what page users ‘land’ on when they visit your site – whether it be your homepage or a blog post – through their Google searches.

Countries

This report will tell you the location of where you’re getting website traffic. Delving further into the report, you can see what landing pages those users are coming to.

Devices

This shows you how users are accessing your site – whether by desktop computers, mobile phones, or tablets.

Queries

The Queries report will show the different keywords Google is showing your website for in its search results. This report also shows the ‘Average Position’ details, so you can see where your site is ranking.

Keep in mind, Google says that its “Search Console keeps data for the last 16 months. As a result, SEO reports in Analytics also include a maximum of 16 months of data. Search Console data is available in Search Console and Analytics 48 hours after it is collected by Search Console.”

If you’re looking to create a Google Analytics account and connect and maintain your Google Search Console, contact Web Rocket Media today. Happy data mining!