Before you start
- Access to the client’s property. Only an owner can add you: Settings, Users and permissions, Add user. Restricted access is enough to read the Performance report. Full access shows all data and allows some actions.
- The right property. A Domain property covers every subdomain and both http and https, and is verified through DNS. A URL-prefix property covers only that exact address, so a site may have several. Use the Domain property when there is one.
- A finished month. Search Console data usually arrives within two to three days, so build the report a few days after the month ends.
Build the report from Search Console
Open the Performance report for the month
Go to Performance, then Search results. Open the date filter and set a custom range for the reporting month. Use the Compare tab to set it against the previous month, or the same month last year for a seasonal business. Only one comparison can be active at a time.
Turn on all four metrics
Click the clicks, impressions, CTR and average position boxes above the chart so the chart and table show all four.
Read the queries and pages
The Queries tab shows the searches and the Pages tab the URLs. To separate searches for the business’s own name, use the branded query filter where Search Console offers it. Otherwise add a query filter that doesn’t contain the brand name; regex works too.
Export the tables
Click Export and choose Google Sheets, Excel or CSV. Exports stop at 1,000 rows. For more, use the Search Console API (up to 25,000 rows per request) or the bulk export to BigQuery.
Or build a live dashboard
Looker Studio has an official Search Console connector. Its Site Impression table gives property totals and its URL Impression table gives page-level figures. Each data source uses one table, so add both if the dashboard needs both.
What to include each month
Search Console has far more data than a client needs. A useful monthly report keeps to these six parts.
- A one-line summaryWhat changed and why, for example “Clicks rose 18% as the new service pages started to appear for local searches”.
- Clicks and impressions, month against monthClicks are visits from Google search. Impressions are how often the site appeared. Show both, and compare with the same month last year if the business is seasonal.
- Average position and click-through rate, with careBoth are averages across every search. Explain movement in plain words rather than celebrating a single figure.
- Top queriesThe searches that brought clicks, split into brand searches (the business’s name) and everything else, so growth from new customers is visible.
- Top pagesThe pages that earned the clicks. Point out the pages your team worked on this month.
- Work done and next stepsWhat your team changed, what it’s meant to improve, and the next priority, for example a page that gets impressions but few clicks.
Mistakes to avoid
Comparing Search Console clicks with Analytics sessions
A click in Search Console and a session in Google Analytics are measured differently, so the totals won’t match. Report each with its own label instead of trying to reconcile them.
Reading the query table as the whole picture
Google leaves out some queries to protect searchers’ privacy, so the query rows add up to less than the total clicks. Say so in the report before a client asks.
Using the last few days of data
The most recent days are still being processed and usually rise once complete. Report full calendar months, a few days after the month ends.
Build it in Monthwrap
Monthwrap brings in the property’s daily clicks, impressions, click-through rate and average position, plus each month’s top 25 queries and top 25 pages by clicks. They sit beside the work your team logged and any other source, such as Google Analytics or your call tracking.
- Sign in with Google. In Sources, choose Google Search Console and sign in with a Google account that has access to the client’s property.
- Choose the property. Pick the domain or URL-prefix property for the client’s website.
- Add the work and build the report. Log the month’s SEO work, then build the report from the monthly template with the query and page tables included.
Google Search Console connection details See a complete sample report
Questions
How far back does Search Console data go?
16 months. To compare years in a client report, save each month’s figures as you go, or let a reporting tool store them.
Why don’t the query clicks add up to the total?
Google leaves out queries that very few people searched over a two-to-three month period, and queries that may contain personal information. Those clicks still count in the chart totals but don’t appear as rows.
Does Search Console show traffic from AI Overviews?
AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted inside the Web search type, with no separate filter. You can’t split them out of the clicks and impressions.
Should I ask for Full or Restricted access?
Restricted is enough to read and export the Performance report. Ask for Full if you also need all of the property’s data. Neither level can add other users; only owners can.
Sources
Menus, plans and limits change. These are the pages this guide was checked against on 10 November 2026.