Adding your Google Search queries to your Google Analytics as a report
Today, we're diving into the world of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to reveal how integrating it with Google Search Console can transform raw data into actionable insights, specifically focusing on uncovering the search queries leading audiences finding your website.
Step 1: Connect Google Analytics GA4 and Google Search Console
Navigate to the Admin Area: Begin by accessing the Admin section in your GA4 dashboard, located discreetly at the lower left corner.
Select the Search Console Links: Within the Property column, your eyes should catch the "Product Links" menu. Here lies the path to Google Search Console Links.
Link and Sync: Click the blue ‘Link’ button, and follow the prompts to add a new link. You'll be asked to select the Search Console site you wish to connect with your GA4 property.
Step 2: Adding the Google Search Query Reports
With the link now established, GA4 you can view the ‘Organic Google Search query’ and ‘Google organic search traffic’ reports.
Refresh the page: So firstly give the page a refresh to make sure your Google Analytics is now showing the options with the new Google Console connection.
Open the reports library: Within GA4, select the "Reports" section, which should be located on the left side bar, and once selected select the ‘Library’ at the bottom of the navigation on the left hand side.
Add the new reports: Under "Life Cycle" select ‘Edit Collection’. In here you want to use the search bar to find ‘Queries' and ‘Google organic search traffic’. drag both of these reports under the ‘Acquisition’ topic.
There you go! You have now added Google Console reports so you can see how users are finding your website. To view your reports, go back to ‘Reports’ area, and under the ‘Acquisition’ topic, you will now have 2 new reports which will display the search terms used on Google for people to find your website, and also the landing pages and how many organic clicks from Google and clickthrough rate and average page ranking. So it really is a huge amount of information which you can now delve into.
Deciphering the Insights
A couple of ideas to help you get some insights from these new reports:
The Phrases that Resonate: Identify which search terms drive the most traffic, and tailor your website's content to better serve these queries.
New Keywords: Discover new keywords that you might not have considered but have the potential to drive additional traffic to your site.
Focusing your efforts: Use the insights to refine your SEO strategy, focusing on high-performing queries and improving or creating content to match user intent.
If your looking for more help with SEO, check out our free SEO checklist or take a look at our SEO course
