Connect Google Search Console

What is in it for me?

Google Search Console is a free tool from Google. It tells you which search terms people use to find your website, how often someone clicks, and where you show up in the search results.

The problem: those numbers sit at Google. Your visitor numbers sit at Trustlytics. Anyone who wants to bring the two together ends up jumping between two windows and lining up date ranges by hand.

Once you connect Google Search Console to Trustlytics, both sit side by side. In the Visibility report, three boxes that were empty before now fill up:

You only set up the connection once. After that, Trustlytics pulls the data on its own. You never have to think about it again.

There is one requirement: your website has to already be set up and verified in Google Search Console. If it is not, take care of that at Google first. It costs nothing, but depending on the verification method, it takes a moment. And keep in mind: Google only starts collecting data from the point of setup onward. There is nothing retroactive.

Where to find Connect Google Search Console

In the top menu bar, click " (Settings)".

The Settings menu opens on the left. Choose "Services".

The Services page opens.

Under "Available services" you will see "Google Search Console". Click "Connect with Google" there.

Signing in with Google

Now you switch over to Google. For a moment you are no longer on a Trustlytics page, and that is normal and part of the process.

Sign in with the Google account you use to manage your website in Google Search Console.

Granting Trustlytics access to Google

Google shows you what Trustlytics wants access to: only reading your Search Console data. Confirm that by clicking "Allow".

Google then sends you back to Trustlytics automatically.

Selecting your property

A property is simply a website that is registered in your Google Search Console. Google calls it that, and we use the same term so you recognize both side by side. Depending on your situation, here is what happens next:

Case A: you have exactly one property

Trustlytics selects it automatically. You immediately see the green confirmation "Property saved: [your website]." Done. There is nothing else to do.

Case B: you have several properties

The "Select property" page opens with the note "Pick the property whose data you want to see in Trustlytics."

1. You see a list of your websites, each with a radio button in front of it.
2. To the right of each website sits a colored label for your access level (explained below).
3. Pick the right website and click the blue "Save property" button.

After that, the green confirmation appears: "Property saved: [your website]."

Case C: you have no property

Then the message "Your Google account has no verified properties" appears. Meaning: there is no verified website in your Google account yet. You see two buttons:

• Go to Google Search Console opens Google in a new tab so you can verify your website there first.
• Close takes you back to "Services".

In that case, set up your website at Google first and then start the connection again.

The access levels

On the right of the selection page sits an info box called "Access level". Google distinguishes between several levels, and Trustlytics works with all of them (the level of detail in the data can vary slightly depending on the level):

You normally do not have to worry about this. It only shows what role your Google account has for that website.

It only matters in one case: if every entry says "Not verified", then nobody in this account has ever verified the website. In that case the road leads through Google first, not through Trustlytics.

Google Search Console connected

Back on "Services", Google Search Console now sits at the top under "Your connected services". You will see:

• The name Google Search Console with the green "Active" label.
• A small info table with Property (your connected website, otherwise "No property selected") and Permission (your access level as a colored label).
• Two buttons: Change property reopens the selection page, Disconnect removes the connection.

What happens in the background now: Trustlytics automatically pulls the past 90 days of your Google data, without you doing a thing. After that, fresh numbers come in daily. All of it lands in the Visibility report.

Switching properties

Want to link a different website?

1. On the Services page, click Change property at Google Search Console.
2. The "Select property" page opens again. Your currently connected website is already marked, so you can see right away which one is active.
3. Pick a different website and click Save property.

After that the confirmation appears: "Property saved: [new website]." From now on, Trustlytics shows the data for the new property.

Expect the numbers in the Visibility report to look different afterwards. They now refer to the new website, not the old one.

Disconnecting the property

Want to remove the Google connection entirely?

1. On the Services page, click the red Disconnect button at Google Search Console.
2. A safety window appears called "Disconnect from Google Search Console? This also revokes the permission on Google's side."
3. Confirm with Disconnect or back out with Cancel.

After that you read the confirmation "Disconnected from Google Search Console." Trustlytics also withdraws the permission at Google. Your data at Google stays untouched, of course. The Google Search Console box moves back to the "Available services" section, and you can reconnect any time.

In the Visibility report, the three Google boxes are empty again afterwards. Your own visitor numbers are not affected, and neither are the Search engines and AI bots boxes. Those come from your own tracking and keep running.

Common questions

Can Trustlytics change anything at Google through this connection?
No. We request read access only. Your Google data and settings stay untouched. We look, we do not touch.

What is Google Search Console anyway, and does it cost anything?
It is Google's free tool for website owners. Google records which search queries your site showed up for, how often it was clicked, and what position you held. You pay nothing for it. You just have to prove to Google once that the website is yours.

I connected it, but I do not see any numbers in the Visibility report yet.
That is normal at first. Google delivers with a two to three day delay, and the 90-day look back loads in the background shortly after connecting. Check again a bit later.

I have no property to choose from.
Then there is no verified website in your Google account yet. Set up your website in Google Search Console first (button "Go to Google Search Console") and then start the connection again.

I connected the wrong website.
No problem: click "Change property", pick the right website, click "Save property". Done.

Which variant do I pick, with "www" or without?
The one your visitors actually use. If you have a domain property, it usually covers all variants and is therefore the safest pick. When in doubt, try one and check after a few days whether the Visibility report shows sensible numbers.

Error message "Security check failed. Please try again."
That happens when the sign-in process took too long or was interrupted. Just click "Connect with Google" again.

Do I have to renew the connection regularly?
No. You set it up once, and after that Trustlytics pulls the data on its own. Only if you revoke the permission at Google or change accounts do you have to reconnect.

Can I also revoke the permission directly at Google?
Yes. In the security settings of your Google account, you will find a list of connected applications and can remove Trustlytics there. The route through the "Disconnect" button is cleaner though, because Trustlytics handles both at once.

Does my Google data look exactly the same in Trustlytics as in Search Console?
Small differences are normal. Google counts in its own time zone, Trustlytics in the one you set. On top of that, Google hides very rare search queries for privacy reasons. So the sum of the listed terms is almost always smaller than the total number of clicks. That is not a counting error, it is intentional.