Google Search Console
How to set up the OAuth connection, what ranking data the plugin pulls per page, how the weekly sync works, and how to use GSC data in your optimization workflow.
Google Search Console integration requires Business or Agency. On Free and Pro, GSC cannot be connected and no ranking data is shown in the analysis result.
Business & AgencyWhat GSC adds to your workflow
Connecting Google Search Console gives SEO Copilot AI access to real performance data for your pages — the queries people actually searched to find them, how many times the page appeared, how many people clicked, and its average position in search results over the past 28 days.
This data is shown in the analysis result alongside SEO and AEO scores, giving you a richer view of how a page is performing right now in Google, not just how it looks structurally. Use it to understand which queries are driving traffic, which pages have high impressions but low clicks, and where optimization work has room to make a meaningful difference.
What data the plugin pulls
For each analyzed page, the plugin fetches the top 25 search queries by impressions over the last 28 days from the Search Analytics API. Each query row includes four metrics.
Search queries
The actual search terms that triggered impressions for this page, sorted by impression count descending.
Click count
How many times a user clicked through to this page from Google search results for each query over 28 days.
Impression count
How many times the page appeared in Google search results for each query, whether clicked or not.
Click-through rate
Clicks divided by impressions, expressed as a percentage. Low CTR with high impressions signals a title or meta that is not compelling enough.
Average position
The average ranking position for the page for each query. Position 1 is the top result. Positions 1–10 are typically on page one.
| Query | Clicks | Impressions | CTR | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| best wordpress seo plugin | 312 | 4,820 | 6.5% | 4.2 |
| wordpress seo plugin comparison | 87 | 2,140 | 4.1% | 7.8 |
| seo copilot ai review | 44 | 390 | 11.3% | 2.1 |
| wordpress aeo optimization | 12 | 1,650 | 0.7% | 18.4 |
How to connect — step by step
The connection requires a one-time setup in Google Cloud Console before you can authorize in WordPress. Work through the steps in order — getting them out of sequence is the most common cause of connection failures.
Create a Google Cloud project
Open Google Cloud Console. Create a new project or select an existing one. The project name does not matter — use something recognizable like “My WordPress Site GSC”.
Enable the Search Console API
In your project, go to APIs & Services → Library. Search for “Google Search Console API” (also listed as Webmasters API) and click Enable.
Configure the OAuth consent screen
Go to APIs & Services → OAuth consent screen. Choose External user type. Fill in the app name, support email, and developer contact. You do not need to add any scopes at this stage — skip to Save and Continue until the setup is complete.
The app does not need to be published — testing mode is fine for personal or team useCreate an OAuth 2.0 Client ID
Go to APIs & Services → Credentials → Create Credentials → OAuth 2.0 Client ID. Select Web application as the application type. Give it a name, then add your redirect URI to the Authorized redirect URIs field.
The redirect URI is shown in SEO Copilot AI → Settings → Google Search Console — copy it exactlyCopy your Client ID and Client Secret into Settings
After creating the credential, Google shows your Client ID and Client Secret. Go to SEO Copilot AI → Settings → Google Search Console, paste both values into the correct fields, and click Save credentials.
Click Connect and authorize
After saving credentials, a Connect Google Search Console button appears. Click it to start the OAuth flow. You will be redirected to Google to authorize. Log in with the Google account that has access to your GSC property and click Allow.
Select your GSC property
After authorizing, you are returned to Settings. A dropdown now shows your available GSC properties. Select the property that matches your WordPress site and click Save property. The weekly sync will begin automatically.
If no properties appear, confirm the Google account you used has verified properties in Google Search ConsoleWhat access the plugin requests
OAuth scope: https://www.googleapis.com/auth/webmasters.readonly
The plugin requests read-only access to your Search Console data. It can query performance data (clicks, impressions, CTR, position) but cannot modify any settings, remove your site, or make any changes to your Search Console account. Tokens are stored encrypted in your WordPress database and are never sent to NordicDataTools.
How the weekly sync works
Automatic weekly sync via WordPress Cron
After connecting, a WordPress Cron job runs weekly and fetches fresh GSC data for your 50 most recently analyzed pages. Each page’s ranking data is cached for 24 hours per URL. You can also trigger a manual sync at any time by clicking Sync now in Settings while connected.
The sync fetches one page at a time with a 200ms pause between requests to avoid hitting Google’s API rate limits. A full 50-page sync typically completes in under 15 seconds.
WordPress Cron requires traffic to fire. On low-traffic or development sites, the weekly sync may not run on schedule because WordPress Cron is triggered by site visits. If you are on a staging site or a site with infrequent visitors, use the Sync now button in Settings to fetch fresh data manually.
How to read the data in your analysis
After GSC data has been synced for a page, the analysis result includes a ranking data section showing the top queries and their metrics. Use it to:
- Identify queries with high impressions but low CTR — these pages are appearing in search but not getting clicks, usually a sign the title or meta needs improvement
- Confirm that your target keyword is actually generating impressions — if it is not in the query list, the page may not be ranking at all for that term
- Find secondary keywords in the query list that you were not actively targeting — these can inform future content improvements or new FAQ questions
- Track position improvement over time by comparing position values across analysis runs
Common questions
The Connect button does nothing or the redirect fails
The most common cause is a missing or incorrect redirect URI in your Google Cloud OAuth client. The exact URI shown in SEO Copilot AI Settings must match one of the entries in your OAuth client’s Authorized redirect URIs list — character for character, including any trailing slashes. Copy it directly from Settings and paste it into Google Cloud Console.
No properties appear after connecting
The Google account you authorized with must have at least one verified property in Google Search Console. Log in to Google Search Console with the same account and confirm your site is listed and verified. If it is not, add and verify it there first.
GSC data shows no results for a page I know is ranking
A few possibilities: the URL format in GSC may differ from the URL the plugin is querying (with/without trailing slash, www vs. non-www), the 28-day window may predate when the page started ranking, or the page may be receiving impressions under a different URL variant. Check the URL in Google Search Console directly to confirm the exact format it is tracked under.
I disconnected GSC — what happens to my data?
Disconnecting removes the stored OAuth tokens and the selected property from your WordPress database. Cached transient data expires within 24 hours. No data is deleted from Google Search Console itself — your GSC account is not affected in any way.
Can I connect multiple GSC properties?
No — the plugin supports one active GSC property at a time. If you manage multiple sites, you can change the selected property in Settings at any time. Switching property does not disconnect the OAuth connection — only the active property used for data fetching changes.
Where to go next
- Settings — the full Settings reference, including where to enter Client ID, Client Secret, and how to save the property
- Google PageSpeed Insights — add performance data alongside GSC ranking data for a complete picture
- Monitoring — use ranking trends from GSC alongside score trends from Monitoring to track page health