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Google Search Console

Free plan

Google's reports on how your site does in Search: queries, clicks, indexing problems and page speed.

Best for anyone who runs a website and wants Google's own record of how it appears in Search

Facts checked November 4, 2026

The short answer

Google Search Console is a free Google service that shows the searches your pages appeared for, how many people clicked, and which pages Google could not index and why. Set it up before you pay for an SEO tool, because its click and impression counts come from Google itself. It only covers sites you prove you own, so it tells you nothing about competitors, and its tables stop at 1,000 rows with up to 16 months of history. For competitor research or daily rankings on keywords you pick, you still need a tool such as Ahrefs or SE Ranking.

Choose it if

  • You have a live website and want to see the real Google searches that bring people to it, with clicks, impressions, click-through rate and average position
  • A page has dropped out of Google or never showed up, and you want Google's own reason, from the Page indexing report or the URL Inspection tool
  • You want an email from Google when it finds a security issue, a manual action or an indexing problem on your site
  • You are deciding which existing pages to improve first and want the queries where you already get impressions but few clicks
  • You need to give a freelancer or agency access to your search data without handing over your Google account (up to 100 non-owner users per property)

Main features

  • Performance report

    Shows clicks, impressions, click-through rate and average position for your pages in Google Search, broken down by query, page, country, device, search appearance and date. You can switch between web, image, video and news results, and go back up to 16 months.

  • Branded queries filter

    Splits your search traffic into searches that include your brand name or domain and searches that don't, so you can see whether new people are finding you. Data starts on March 11, 2025, and the filter is not available for sub-properties such as example.com/blog/ or for sites with few impressions.

  • Insights report

    A simpler overview with cards for clicks and impressions, top and trending pages, top queries and countries, and branded against non-branded traffic. Google is rolling it out gradually, so some accounts don't have it yet.

  • URL Inspection tool

    Tells you whether a single URL is on Google, when Google crawled it and which version it picked as canonical. A live test checks the current page, and you can ask Google to index it, within a daily limit per property.

  • Page indexing and sitemaps

    The Page indexing report lists pages Google has not indexed and the reason for each, such as a redirect or a noindex tag. You can submit sitemaps and see errors Google hit while reading them.

  • Core Web Vitals report

    Groups your pages as Good, Needs improvement or Poor for loading (LCP), responsiveness (INP) and visual stability (CLS), using data from real Chrome users rather than a lab test.

  • Links report

    Lists the sites that link to you most, your most linked pages and the link text other sites use. Tables show up to 1,000 rows, and you can export up to 100,000 rows of sample links to CSV or Google Sheets.

  • Alerts, manual actions and security issues

    Google emails you when it finds problems on your site, and separate reports list any manual action against the site or security issue such as hacked pages.

  • Chart annotations

    Owners and full users can add a note to a date on the performance chart, such as a redesign or a migration, so everyone on the property can see what changed. Each property holds up to 200 notes of 120 characters, and Google deletes them after 500 days.

  • Google Analytics link and BigQuery export

    You can associate a property with Google Analytics so search data appears in Analytics reports. The bulk export sends your performance data to BigQuery every day, starting from the day you set it up.

Pricing

Checked November 4, 2026. Google describes Search Console as a free service. The only possible cost is Google Cloud usage if you turn on the BigQuery export, and Google's help page gives no fixed price for that.

Search Console

$0

All reports and tools for sites you verify, with up to 100 non-owner users per property

Bulk data export to BigQuery (optional)

Google Cloud rates / usage

A daily export of your performance data; Google Cloud bills storage and queries above its free usage level

Reviews

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Alternatives to Google Search Console

ProductChoose it instead ifStarts at
AhrefsYou need backlink and keyword data on competitors, not only on your own siteFree (Ahrefs Free, for s...
SemrushYou want competitor keyword research and tracking of how your brand shows up in AI search answersFree
SE RankingYou need daily rankings for a fixed list of keywords, by location, alongside site audits$129 a month (Core), or...
SERPed.netYou are a small agency that wants rank tracking and white-label client reports for one flat monthly price$7 for the first 30 days...

Questions people ask

Is Google Search Console free?

Yes. Google calls Search Console a free service, and you only need a Google account and proof that you own the site. The one optional feature that can cost money is the bulk export to BigQuery, because Google Cloud charges for storage and queries above its free usage level.

How far back does Search Console data go?

Google's Analytics help center says Search Console keeps data for the last 16 months. The Performance report opens on the past three months, and you can widen the date range from there. If you want a longer history, export the data or set up the BigQuery export, which keeps adding a day at a time from the day you turn it on.

Why doesn't Search Console show all my keywords?

Its tables show a maximum of 1,000 rows, and Google says it stores top data rows rather than every row. It also leaves out rare queries to protect searchers' privacy. Large sites lose part of their long tail in the reports, and the BigQuery export is the way to get more, though it still leaves out anonymized queries.

Why is my average position different from my rank tracker?

Search Console averages the topmost position of your site across every search where it appeared, on every device and in every country. A rank tracker usually checks one keyword from one location at one time. The two numbers measure different things, so use Search Console for trends and a tracker such as SE Ranking for a fixed keyword list.

Does Search Console count AI Overviews and AI Mode?

Yes. Google's help center says a click on an external link in an AI Overview or in AI Mode counts as a click, and normal impression rules apply. All links in one AI Overview share a single position, and a follow-up question in AI Mode counts as a new query.

Should I add a domain property or a URL-prefix property?

A domain property covers the whole domain, including every subdomain and both http and https, but you can only verify it by adding a DNS record at your domain provider. A URL-prefix property covers only addresses that start with the exact prefix you enter, and you can verify it in more ways, such as an HTML file, a meta tag, Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager.

Can I give my SEO agency access?

Yes. A property owner can add people under Settings, Users and permissions, as a full user who can see everything and take some actions, or a restricted user who sees most data. A property can have up to 100 non-owner users, and each needs a Google account.

Can I see a competitor's data in Search Console?

No. You must verify that you own a property before Search Console shows any data for it. For competitor keywords and backlinks you need a paid research tool such as Semrush or Ahrefs.

Sources we checked 22
  1. search.google.com/search-console/about for product description, feature list (performance, sitemaps, index coverage, email alerts, URL Inspection, Core Web Vitals, AMP, rich results), website checked November 4, 2026
  2. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9128668 for free service, who it is for, what you can do (crawling, indexing, alerts, links) checked November 4, 2026
  3. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/10267942 for setup needs only a Google account, verification required before any data checked November 4, 2026
  4. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9133276 for full list of reports and tools, Associations with Google Analytics, YouTube and Merchant Center, bulk data export, crawl stats checked November 4, 2026
  5. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7576553 for Performance report metrics, dimensions, search types, default three-month view, 24-hour hourly view, provisional data, export checked November 4, 2026
  6. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/96568 for 1,000-row table limit, top rows stored, rare queries omitted checked November 4, 2026
  7. support.google.com/analytics/answer/13682863 for Search Console keeps data for the last 16 months; Analytics organic search report from a linked property checked November 4, 2026
  8. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/17010961 for branded queries filter (data from March 11, 2025; not for sub-properties or low-impression sites), annotations link checked November 4, 2026
  9. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16308503 for Insights report contents and gradual rollout checked November 4, 2026
  10. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289 for URL Inspection tool, live test, request indexing, daily limits checked November 4, 2026
  11. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9205520 for Core Web Vitals report metrics, thresholds and CrUX field data checked November 4, 2026
  12. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9049606 for Links report tables, 1,000-row limit, export up to 100,000 rows checked November 4, 2026
  13. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16530728 for annotations: 200 per property, 120 characters, deleted after 500 days, who can add checked November 4, 2026
  14. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7687615 for owners, full and restricted users, 100 non-owner limit checked November 4, 2026
  15. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/34592 for domain, URL-prefix and platform properties; 1,000 properties per account checked November 4, 2026
  16. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9008080 for verification methods, DNS required for domain properties checked November 4, 2026
  17. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/12917675 for BigQuery export: Google Cloud billing, free usage level, no backfill, first export within 48 hours checked November 4, 2026
  18. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/12918484 for BigQuery export includes all performance data except anonymized queries checked November 4, 2026
  19. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7042828 for how clicks, impressions and position count for AI Overviews and AI Mode checked November 4, 2026
  20. support.google.com/webmasters/community for Google Search Central Help Community as a support channel checked November 4, 2026
  21. about.google/company-info/locations for Googleplex address in Mountain View, California checked November 4, 2026
  22. blogs.bing.com/webmaster/september-2019/Import-sites-from-Search-Console-to-Bing-Webmaster-Tools for Bing Webmaster Tools can import sites verified in Search Console (alternative) checked November 4, 2026