Learn what data you can get from Google Search Console and Google Analytics. Understand SEO performance, user behavior, traffic insights, and conversions.
What Data Can You Get from Google Search Console and Google Analytics?
In the digital world, data is the foundation of growth. Whether you run a blog, a business website, or an e-commerce store, understanding how users find your site and what they do after landing on it is essential. Two powerful and free tools provided by Google — Google Search Console (GSC) and Google Analytics (GA) — help you gather this intelligence.
Although both tools provide insights into your website’s performance, they serve distinct purposes. Google Search Console is primarily concerned with how Google Search sees your website, while Google Analytics shows you how users behave after they arrive on your site. When used together, they deliver a 360-degree view of your website’s health, visibility, and user engagement.
1. Introduction to Google Search Console and Google Analytics
1.1 What Is Google Search Console (GSC)?
Google Search Console is a free SEO tool that helps website owners monitor how their site performs in Google Search. It focuses on:
- Search visibility
- Indexing
- Crawl status
- Keyword performance
- Website health issues
In other words, GSC tells you how Googlebot views your site and how users find you through search queries.
1.2 What Is Google Analytics (GA)?
Google Analytics is a web analytics tool that provides insights into user behavior, demographics, traffic sources, engagement, and conversions. It helps you answer questions such as:
- Who is visiting your site?
- What are they doing after landing?
- How much time do they spend on each page?
- Which marketing channels bring the best traffic?
- Which pages convert the best?
If Search Console shows how they arrive, Analytics shows what they do.
2. What Data Can You Get from Google Search Console?
Google Search Console provides deep insights into search performance and indexing. Here are all the data points you can extract.
2.1 Performance Data (Search Results)
1. Total Clicks
Shows how many times users clicked on your site from Google’s organic search results.
Useful for:
- Measuring content success
- Understanding which pages attract the most attention
- Monitoring growth trends
2. Total Impressions
Impressions count how often your site appeared in Google Search results, regardless of clicks.
Helps you understand:
- Search visibility
- Demand for keywords
- Opportunities to improve CTR
3. Average Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Shows the percentage of impressions that led to clicks. Low CTR often means:
- Poor title tags
- Weak meta descriptions
- Irrelevant targeting
4. Average Position
Shows where your page ranks on Google for selected queries.
Useful for:
- Measuring keyword ranking
- Tracking ranking fluctuations
- Identifying pages stuck on page 2 or 3
5. Top Queries (Keywords)
This is one of the most important reports. You get:
- Keywords users type to find your site
- Clicks and impressions for each keyword
- How well you rank for each query
This helps in:
- SEO strategy
- Content planning
- Keyword optimization
6. Top Pages
Shows your most visited pages from Google Search.
Useful for:
- Prioritizing updates
- Understanding content that performs best
7. Search Appearance Features
GSC also shows performance for:
- Rich results
- Videos
- FAQs
- How-to snippets
- AMP (if used)
This helps you upgrade content for better SERP visibility.
8. Performance by Country & Device
You get detailed insights by:
- Country
- Desktop
- Mobile
- Tablet
This helps with localization and mobile optimization.
2.2 Index Coverage Report
This section shows the status of Google’s indexing process.
1. Valid Pages (Indexed)
These are the pages currently indexed and eligible to appear in search.
2. Errors
Possible indexing errors include:
- 404 errors
- Server errors (5xx)
- Redirect loops
- Soft 404s
- Blocked by robots.txt
Fixing these improves crawlability and SEO health.
3. Valid with Warnings
Pages that are indexed but not ideal. Example:
- Indexed but blocked by robots
- Alternate versions without canonical links
4. Excluded Pages
These include:
- Duplicate content
- Canonicalized pages
- Crawled but not indexed
- No-indexed pages
Understanding this helps you avoid index bloat.
2.3 URL Inspection Tool
With this feature, you get detailed data on a specific URL:
- Indexing status
- Canonical URL
- Last crawl date
- Crawling issues
- Mobile usability
- Rich result eligibility
And you can request indexing after making changes.
2.4 Experience Reports
1. Page Experience
Shows whether your site meets Google’s performance and usability standards.
2. Core Web Vitals
Measures:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
- FID/INP (Interactivity)
- CLS (Layout Shift)
Improving these helps with ranking and user experience.
3. Mobile Usability
Reports issues like:
- Text too small
- Clickable elements too close
- Viewport not set
Mobile friendliness impacts rankings heavily.
2.5 Enhancements Reports
These include structured data insights.
1. FAQ Schema
2. Breadcrumbs
3. Videos
4. Products (for e-commerce)
5. Sitelinks search box
You get warnings and errors to fix for better rich results.
2.6 Links Report
1. External Links
Shows:
- Pages most linked to
- Top linking sites
- Top anchor text
2. Internal Links
Helps you evaluate internal linking strategy.
2.7 Security & Manual Actions
1. Manual Penalties
If you violate guidelines, GSC shows penalties here.
2. Security Issues
Such as:
- Malware
- Hacked content
- Harmful downloads
3. What Data Can You Get from Google Analytics?
Google Analytics (especially GA4) provides deep insights into user behavior, traffic, and conversions.
Here is everything you can track.
3.1 Traffic Acquisition Data
1. Users and New Users
Shows how many people visit your site and how many are first-time visitors.
2. Sessions
Total number of visits (including multiple visits by one user).
3. Traffic Sources
You learn how visitors find your site:
- Organic Search
- Paid Search
- Social Media
- Direct
- Referral
- Display
4. Campaign Tracking
With UTM parameters, you can track:
- Ads
- Email campaigns
- Social promotions
- Affiliate traffic
3.2 Audience Data
1. Demographics
Shows:
- Age groups
- Gender
- Language
Helps tailor content and marketing.
2. Interests
Google groups users into:
- Affinity categories
- In-market segments
Useful for audience targeting.
3. Geo Data
Shows where your audience lives:
- Country
- Region
- City
This is essential for localized SEO.
4. Technology Data
Includes:
- Devices (mobile, desktop, tablet)
- Browsers
- Operating systems
This data helps optimize user experience.
3.3 Behavior Data
1. Pageviews
Shows how many times each page was viewed.
2. Unique Pageviews
Counts only one view per user per session.
3. Average Engagement Time
Indicates content quality.
4. Bounce Rate
Shows how many people leave without interacting.
5. Scroll Depth
GA4 measures how far users scroll — important for long articles.
6. Event Tracking
GA4 is event-driven. You can track:
- Button clicks
- Form submissions
- File downloads
- Video views
- Add-to-cart events
3.4 Conversion Tracking
1. Goals (Conversions)
You can track:
- Leads
- Purchases
- Signups
- Downloads
- Form submissions
2. Ecommerce Tracking
For online stores, GA tracks:
- Transactions
- Revenue
- Product performance
- Add-to-cart events
- Checkout behavior
3.5 Real-Time Data
You can monitor live statistics such as:
- Active users on site
- Pages they are viewing
- Their geographic location
- Events being triggered in real time
3.6 Retention Data
Shows:
- Returning user percentage
- User cohorts
- Lifetime value
Great for understanding long-term audience behavior.
4. Key Differences Between Google Search Console and Google Analytics
| Feature | Google Search Console | Google Analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Search performance & SEO | User behavior & analytics |
| Measures | Clicks, impressions, ranking | Users, sessions, conversions |
| Data Source | Google Search | Site interactions |
| Focus | Visibility & indexing | Engagement & marketing |
| Traffic | Only organic search | All channels |
| Who Uses It? | SEO professionals | Marketers, analysts, businesses |
In short:
✔ Use GSC to improve rankings.
✔ Use GA to understand behavior and conversions.
5. How GSC and GA Work Together
When combined:
- You see which keywords bring traffic (GSC)
- You see what users do after landing (GA)
- You can optimize content for both SEO and conversions
Example:
A keyword brings high traffic but low conversions.
→ Improve landing page UX (GA insight)
→ Improve relevance and intent match (GSC insight)
6. Why Every Website Needs Both Tools
- SEO optimization
- Content strategy enhancement
- Audience understanding
- Conversion rate improvement
- Technical health monitoring
- Business growth forecasting
GSC and GA complement each other and should always be used together.
7. Final Thoughts
Google Search Console and Google Analytics are two foundational tools every website owner must use. While GSC focuses on search visibility, indexing, and performance, Google Analytics concentrates on user engagement, audience insights, and conversions.
Together, they provide a complete ecosystem for:
- Understanding how people discover your site
- Analyzing what they do after landing
- Fixing technical issues
- Improving search rankings
- Increasing conversions
Whether you’re a blogger, marketer, SEO specialist, or business owner, mastering these tools will empower your digital strategy with data-driven decisions.
FAQ
1. What is the main difference between Google Search Console and Google Analytics?
Google Search Console focuses on search visibility and SEO performance, while Google Analytics tracks user behavior, engagement, and conversions on your website.
2. What type of data does Google Search Console provide?
GSC provides keyword data, clicks, impressions, indexing issues, crawl reports, Core Web Vitals, mobile usability, backlinks, and rich results insights.
3. What type of data does Google Analytics provide?
Google Analytics provides user demographics, traffic sources, session data, engagement metrics, device usage, events, ecommerce tracking, and conversions.
4. Do I need both Google Search Console and Google Analytics?
Yes. Both tools complement each other—GSC shows how users find your site, while GA shows what they do after arriving.
5. Is Google Analytics better than Google Search Console for SEO?
Neither is “better”—they serve different purposes. GSC is essential for SEO, while GA helps measure engagement and optimize user experience.