Search Console Reporting in Data Studio (Formerly Looker Studio)

#01How does the connector work?

From the Data Studio Search Console connector documentation:

For the GA4 side see Looker Studio reporting on GA4 for marketers.

Our view: keep dashboards to one page per audience.

#02Choosing a table

#03Troubleshooting

#04Building the report, chart by chart

A one-page marketing dashboard needs five elements. Build them in this order.

Calculated field for branded vs non-branded

The connector doesn't include the branded filter, so recreate it with a regex calculated field:

CASE
  WHEN REGEXP_CONTAINS(LOWER(Query), "(ledgerline|ledger line|ll ap)") THEN "Branded"
  ELSE "Non-branded"
END

Anonymised queries have no query text, so they fall into "Non-branded" here. Add a filter excluding null queries if you want a cleaner split, and note it on the chart.

Calculated field for page section

CASE
  WHEN REGEXP_CONTAINS(Landing Page, "/blog/") THEN "Blog"
  WHEN REGEXP_CONTAINS(Landing Page, "/glossary/") THEN "Glossary"
  WHEN REGEXP_CONTAINS(Landing Page, "/(product|pricing)/") THEN "Product"
  ELSE "Other"
END

#05Blending with GA4

To put organic clicks next to conversions by landing page, blend the URL Impression source with a GA4 source:

1. Add both data sources to the report.
2. Create a blend joining on landing page. Search Console uses full URLs and GA4 uses paths, so create a calculated field that strips the domain from the Search Console URL first, for example with REGEXP_REPLACE(Landing Page, "^https://[^/]+", "").
3. Use a left join from Search Console so pages without conversions still appear.
4. Check a few rows by hand against both tools.

#06Edge cases

• Average position in blends. Don't sum or average position across rows; it's already an average. Show it only in Search Console-only tables.
• Credential expiry. If the person whose credentials power the source leaves, the report breaks. Use a shared owner account or a service account where your organisation allows it.
• Sharing. Viewer's credentials mean each viewer needs Search Console access; good for security, bad for executive dashboards.
• Discover and Google News. These are only available in URL Impression; don't expect them in Site Impression charts.
• Speed. Long date ranges with query dimensions are slow. For more than a few months of query-level analysis, use BigQuery (lesson 18) and connect Data Studio to that.

#07Ledgerline walkthrough: building the monthly dashboard

1. The SEO lead created a Data Studio report and added the Search Console connector twice: Site Impression and URL Impression, with owner's credentials.
2. They added scorecards with previous-period comparisons and a weekly time series.
3. They created the branded calculated field with the brand regex and the product nickname.
4. They added a top pages table with the section field and a filter control for section.
5. They blended URL Impression with GA4 on the cleaned landing page path to show demo requests by organic page.
6. They checked five rows against Search Console and GA4, then shared view access with the marketing director.

#08Questions practitioners ask

Why do Data Studio clicks differ from the Performance report? Usually the table type (Site vs URL Impression), date range or a filter on query that drops anonymised queries.

Can I schedule email delivery of the report? Data Studio offers scheduled delivery; check your organisation's sharing policy first.

Should I use the connector or BigQuery? Use the connector for small dashboards; use BigQuery for long history, many queries or joins with other data.

How do I show annotations? The connector doesn't import Search Console annotations; add text boxes or a small date table you maintain.

#09A dashboard layout that works

#10Calculated field recipes

A section field on the Landing page dimension:

CASE
  WHEN REGEXP_MATCH(Landing Page, ".*/blog/.*") THEN "Blog"
  WHEN REGEXP_MATCH(Landing Page, ".*/product/.*") THEN "Product"
  WHEN REGEXP_MATCH(Landing Page, ".*/glossary/.*") THEN "Glossary"
  ELSE "Other"
END

A branded flag on Query (replace the pattern with your brand terms):

CASE WHEN REGEXP_MATCH(Query, "(?i).*(ledgerline|ledger line).*") THEN "Branded" ELSE "Non-branded" END

Note that anonymised queries don't appear in query tables, so the branded split in a query table covers only visible queries.

#11Dashboard symptoms and fixes

#12Where this fits in the monthly routine

The dashboard replaces most of week 1's manual export. Keep a short notes page updated with releases and campaigns, because the connector doesn't import annotations.

#13Sharing settings to agree

• Who can view, who can edit, and whether external agencies get access.
• Whether data credentials are the owner's or the viewer's.
• Whether scheduled delivery is allowed by your organisation's policy.

#14Quick checks before you move on

• Totals on the overview page match the Performance report for the same dates and property.
• The section field covers every important URL pattern, with "Other" kept small.
• Viewers can open the report without errors.
• The notes page lists last month's releases and campaigns.

#15Worked example: Ledgerline's dashboard

Ledgerline is a fictional accounts-payable software company. Details and numbers are illustrative.

Ledgerline's marketing director wanted a monthly view. The SEO lead built a Data Studio page with clicks over time, top pages and non-branded share, using owner's credentials so the leadership team could view it.

Walkthrough

1. In Data Studio, create a report and add a data source.
2. Choose the Search Console connector.
3. Select your property, then Site Impression or URL Impression.
4. Choose the search type, and pick credentials (owner's is simplest for sharing).
5. Add a time series of clicks and a table of queries.
6. Add a date range control and share the report.

#16Try it yourself

Build a one-page Data Studio report: a clicks and impressions time series (Site Impression), a top pages table (URL Impression), and a branded vs non-branded split using a regex calculated field if needed.

#17Quick quiz

1. What is Looker Studio called now?

Answer: Data Studio.

2. Which table supports Discover data?

Answer: URL Impression.

3. Which credentials suit shared reports?

Answer: Owner's credentials.

4. Which table should you use for site totals?

Answer: Site Impression.

#18What should you check before the next lesson?

• Your report uses the right table.
• Credentials work for viewers.
• Read Looker Studio reporting on GA4.

Next: Bulk data export to BigQuery. Or return to the Search Console for Marketers track.

#19Common questions

Is this the same as Looker? No. Data Studio (formerly Looker Studio) is the free reporting tool.

Can I blend Search Console with GA4? Yes, in Data Studio, but join on landing page carefully.

Is there a row limit? The connector is suitable for reporting; for large analysis use bulk export.