Search Console is the primary source of first-party Google search data. It reports per-query and per-URL performance, index coverage, Core Web Vitals field data, and manual actions.
Data limits
- Query data is capped at 1,000 rows per report without the API.
- Anonymised queries below a privacy threshold are omitted.
- Data is delayed by roughly two to three days.
- Historical retention is limited to 16 months.
Example
A publisher combines the Search Console API with server logs to reconstruct query performance for months where GSC has already rolled off history.
How SEM Optimiser reports it
GSC data is imported daily via the API and stored beyond the 16-month window so long-term trend analysis is not lost.
Related terms
- Impressions
An impression is recorded every time a link to your website appears in a user's search results, regardless of whether the user scrolls to see it.
- CTR (Click-Through Rate)
Click-through rate is the percentage of impressions that result in a click, calculated as clicks divided by impressions.
- Average Position
Average position is the mean SERP position a URL held for a query across all impressions in a given date range.
- Organic Traffic
Organic traffic is the volume of visitors that arrive at a website by clicking a non-paid search engine result.