Google is working on a way to combine data from Search Console and Analytics together in one report that is accessible from either service.
Site owners have been receiving email notices via Search Console with information about an upcoming trial of the new report.
This upcoming beta test from Google looks interesting and much needed. The holy grail is competitor position information but I'll settle for an easier way to see which keywords drive to which page. pic.twitter.com/2qGPQNCqor
— Andrew Girdwood (@AndrewGirdwood) June 22, 2020
The email states Google will begin allowing the export of data from Analytics and a linked Search Console property.
It’s a trial experience that only affects one Search Console property, which will be indicated in the email.
Site owners will receive another notification when the new report becomes available. Google estimates the report is a few weeks out from being ready to launch.
If, for any reason, site owners want to opt out of this trial they can unlink their Search Console and Google Analytics properties.
Google’s email has a large button that links directly to the page where site owners can manage their integrations between Search Console and GA.
The only situation I can think of where it might be beneficial to unlink these properties is if multiple people have varying level of access to them.
For example, you may have given someone access to your Google Analytics property but not your Search Console property.
In this instance, the person would be able to view both properties’ data when the integrated report rolls out.
You can prevent that from happening by unlinking the properties before the trial begins.
Related: A Complete Guide to Google Analytics
Benefits of Using an Integrated Report
Why use an integrated report over viewing both sets of data separately?
Other than the shear convenience factor alone, being able to view both sets of data side-by-side makes it easier to identify correlations you otherwise may have missed.
Google Analytics tracks user activity on a website, and Search Console tracks user activity in SERPs, so the potential use cases of combining the data is nearly endless.
As an example, you can quickly determine if adding review schema to product pages had a measurable impact on traffic.
You may also be able to find correlations between pages that saw a spike in traffic one month, and keywords your site was showing up for more frequently during that month.
As Andrew Girdwood states in his tweet at the beginning of this article, an integrated report can make it easier to see which keywords may be driving traffic to which pages.
There are still a lot of unknowns at this point, as Google hasn’t provided any information about this feature beyond what’s contained in the initial email.
As it relates to the trial period, we don’t know if it will be limited to a select audience or if everyone will get an opportunity to participate.
I suspect we’ll learn more in the coming weeks as Google gets closer to launching the integrated report.
In the meantime, if you have email notifications disabled, make sure to check your message center in Search Console to avoid missing any important details.
