Connect Google Search Console to GA4

Finally one of the integrations we have been waiting for and that we thought was “Native” has arrived! What am I talking about? But obviously the integration between GA4 and Google Search Console.

At the time of writing the post the feature in is in rollout so if you don’t see it immediately … just have a little patience;)

Let’s see in detail what it’s all about.

Integrate Search Console and Google Analytics 4

First of all, you need to access the Admin section and then locate the item “Search Console Linking” under the property GA4> Product Linking, as highlighted in the screenshot.

Now, in the next screen, just click on the blue button “Link ” on top right. In the next screen you have to follow the single steps that are highlighted inside the tutorial: remember that the linking is 1: 1, that is you can hook only one Search Console property to GA4!

Another point to remember is that Search Console can be linked only to the Web Stream, then choose the correct one in the reference GA4 property.

Once the guided steps have been completed, a screen like the one you find in the screenshot below will appear and the connection will also be notified via e-mail.

What should I do with it?

Integrate Search Console and Google Analytics 4 – Report

To view the data you have to wait 24h from the connection and then just go to Acquisition> Overview and there will be two new tabs: Google Organic Search Traffic and Google Organic Search Queries.

• Google Organic Search Traffic: View landing pages with associated Search Console and Analytics metrics. You can drill down into the data based on the Country and Device dimensions.

• Google Organic Search Queries: Displays search queries and associated Search Console metrics for the linked Search Console property. You can dig deeper into the data based on the size of Search Console (but not the size of Analytics – Ouch).

You can obviously “explore” each individual tab in detail and you will have some dimensions to cross-reference the detected data.

Search Console and GA4: main information

The feature presents some aspects that are implied but that perhaps it is better to explain:

• Search Console connects the data of the last 16 months. As a result, reports in Analytics also include up to 16 months of data.
• Search Console data is available in Search Console and Analytics 48 hours after being collected by Search Console.
• Search Console metrics are only compatible with Search Console dimensions and the following Analytics dimensions: Landing Page, Device, and Country
• You can link a Search Console property to a single web stream. (You can also link the same Search Console property to a Universal Analytics property.)
• You can’t edit the link. If you need to make a change to a link, you can delete the existing link and then create a new one.

Considerations on the linking between GA4 and Search Console

At the moment, in my opinion, it is an excellent step forward with the overall integration of the entire Google Marketing Platform suite (e.g. Optimize is still missing) but, as for Universal Analytics, also in this case it is a transposition of what is present in Search Console within GA4.

I expect that as a novelty there is the possibility, to tend, to integrate and use data with other dimensions and metrics perhaps via the Explore section. But above all I would like to have a a Core Web Vitals section directly connected to GA4, , but perhaps we are going too far with the requests 😀

Such an integration would make possible to have in a single tool all the elements to evaluate some of the SEO assets and would certainly also make an analysis with a view to Conversion Rate Optimization more efficient, given that we should not cross data from N different sources.