How do you link Google Search Console with Google Analytics?

Linking Google Search Console with Google Analytics 4 connects your verified website property to a GA4 web data stream. This makes Search Console reports available in Analytics, allowing you to compare Google Search traffic and search queries with landing-page engagement data in one property.

The link is created from Google Analytics, but you need the right access in both services:

• Google Analytics 4: Editor access to the relevant property.
• Google Search Console: Verified owner access to the Search Console property.
• Website setup: A Search Console property that matches the website tracked by the GA4 web data stream. The Search Console property normally needs to be a URL-prefix property for this integration.

To link the services:

1. Sign in to the Google Analytics account containing the relevant GA4 property.
2. Open Admin.
3. In the property column, select Product links, then Search Console links.
4. Select Link.
5. Choose the appropriate verified Search Console property.
6. Select the GA4 web data stream that represents the same website.
7. Review the details and select Submit to create the link.

After the link has been created, open the relevant GA4 property and look for the Search Console reports under the Reports area. Depending on the current Analytics interface and report collection, these are generally found under the acquisition reports. They can include Google organic search traffic and Google organic search queries, with information such as landing pages, clicks, impressions, click-through rate and average position alongside Analytics engagement metrics.

The integration does not combine every Search Console and Analytics metric into a single user-level dataset. Search Console measures activity in Google Search, while Analytics measures visits and interactions after someone reaches the website. A click recorded by Search Console may not become an Analytics session if the page does not load correctly, consent prevents measurement, tracking is blocked or the visitor leaves before Analytics records the visit. Analytics sessions can also include traffic that Search Console does not measure.

Search Console and Analytics also use different attribution and reporting methods. Search Console usually associates search activity with the page shown in search results, whereas Analytics may attribute a session according to its campaign, referral and session settings. As a result, clicks and sessions will not normally match exactly. Use Search Console to assess search visibility and query performance, and Analytics to assess what visitors do after arriving on the site.

New data may take some time to appear after the link is submitted. The connection does not normally backfill Analytics with Search Console data from before the association was created, so record the linking date when comparing reports. Search Console itself remains the source for the fullest search-performance history available within its retention period.

If the link option is unavailable or the property does not appear, check the following:

• Confirm that you are using the correct Google account and have Editor access in the GA4 property.
• Check that your Search Console ownership verification is active.
• Make sure the Search Console property covers the exact site represented by the GA4 web stream, including the correct domain, subdomain, protocol and relevant URL path.
• Confirm that you are linking a web data stream rather than an app stream.
• Check that another Analytics property has not already used the available association for that Search Console property.
• Allow time for the reports to populate after correcting the setup.

Once the connection is working, use it to investigate the relationship between visibility, clicks and onsite behaviour. For example, pages with impressions but a low click-through rate may need better titles or descriptions, while pages receiving organic visits but weak engagement may need improvements to relevance, page structure or user experience. Keep the two data sources distinct when interpreting results rather than treating their totals as directly interchangeable.