Google’s new Search Console feature will provide reports and make it easier for businesses to track social and video content performance in Google Search.
For businesses, managing insights across multiple platforms can be difficult; Google Search Console offers a simpler way to measure visibility, content discovery through Google Search and overall content effectiveness.
TL;DR
- Google Search Console now provides insights into how social media and video content perform in Google Search.
- Businesses can track Search clicks, impressions, queries and visibility without needing a verified website.
- The update expands Search Console insights beyond traditional websites to support social-first businesses and creators.
- The feature will provide insights for Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube.
What is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console is a platform that provides performance reports and insights, using data directly from Google Search to help businesses understand how their content appears and performs in Search results. It allows users to track visibility, clicks, impressions, search queries and other performance metrics without relying on third-party software.
What can you report on in Search Console?
You can access performance metrics like:
- Total clicks – The number of times users click through to your website or verified platform content from Google Search.
- Organic search impressions – The number of times your website or content appears in Google Search results, whether or not users click on it.
- Generative AI search impressions – The number of times your content appears within Google’s AI-powered search experiences, including AI Overviews and AI Mode (available to eligible properties).
- Click-through rate (CTR) – The percentage of impressions that result in a click, calculated by dividing total clicks by total impressions and multiplying by 100.
- Average position – The average ranking position of your website or content in Google Search results.
- Search queries – The keywords and phrases users search for that lead to your website or verified platform content appearing in search results.
- Top pages and content – The webpages, videos or social posts receiving the most visibility and clicks from Google Search.
- Countries and devices – Insights into where your visitors are located and whether they’re using desktop, mobile or tablet devices.
What will the new insight reports provide?
Search Console will introduce a new property type, platform properties, which will allow brands to see:
- Overviews of recent traffic patterns
- High-performing posts
- How creator and business social/video content is discovered through Google Search
These new insights will help identify search terms that lead users to discover businesses’ social and video content on Google Search and how audiences interact with that content (e.g., searches, clicks and other interactions), as well as impressions and search queries, as performance indicators.
You can also use Search Console to track milestones, including achievements in growth based on increased Search clicks over a 28-day period.
What social channels are included in Search Console?
Google Search Console’s new platform properties allow creators, publishers and businesses to track how their social and video content performs in Google Search. Currently, the feature supports the following platforms:
- Instagram – Track how posts, Reels and other public content appear in Google Search, including the queries users searched to discover them.
- TikTok – Understand which TikTok content is gaining visibility through Google Search and which search terms are driving users to your videos.
- X (formerly Twitter) – Measure how posts perform in Google Search and identify which content attracts clicks and impressions.
- YouTube – Analyse how videos are discovered through Google Search, including performance trends and user search behaviour.
Why isn’t LinkedIn included?
Google Search Console currently doesn’t cover LinkedIn. So far, we don’t know the exact reason why, but the channels included are other popular platforms cited in AI platforms.
This doesn’t mean you should stop using LinkedIn. In fact, our latest event on AI, SEO and PPC highlights the importance of LinkedIn in your AI SEO strategy and how it helps win online visibility on search.
How is this different from ‘Search Profiles’?
Although they sound similar, Search Profiles are shareable, public-facing pages that help people discover a creator or publisher’s content in Google Search. In contrast, Google Search Console is a private analytics tool that reports on how social and video content performs in Google Search, without changing how that content appears publicly. I
Search Console is also a key SEO tool, helping businesses understand which search queries people use to find their content, identify keyword opportunities and improve their visibility in Google Search.
| Feature | Search Profiles | Search Console |
| Main Use | Showcase content to audiences | Analyse Search performance, user queries, and content discovery |
| Access | Public-facing profile | Private analytics platform |
Why does this new Google Search Console feature matter for brands?
Previously, Google’s Search Console data primarily focused on traditional websites, but now businesses can gain Search insights into social and video content, such as Search visibility, without a verified website. This makes Search data more accessible for social-first businesses and creators, helping them understand how Google contributes to content discovery.
How is this beneficial for A/SEO?
Search engines now index public social content and can influence how brands are discovered online. For example, Instagram posts, photos and Reels from public accounts can appear in search results, while TikTok and YouTube videos are frequently surfaced and cited within AI-generated answers. This means brands need to optimise social content with search intent in mind, using relevant keywords in captions, creating content around customer questions and ensuring posts provide valuable answers that can be discovered across multiple search environments.
Google Search Console’s new platform properties provide brands with greater visibility into how their social content performs in Google Search. By analysing which posts appear for specific queries, businesses can identify high-performing content, understand what audiences are searching for and optimise future posts to improve visibility.
These insights can also strengthen AEO strategies by highlighting topics and search terms that are gaining traction. Brands can use this information to create more targeted content across their website, social channels and other digital platforms, increasing the likelihood of being discovered and referenced by both search engines and AI-powered tools.
Written by Ellen Pickavance, during her recent work experience with Trio.
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