# Search Console for Marketers: Free Course (2026)

> A free 2026 Search Console course for marketers: Performance, regex, branded filter, Insights, generative AI reports, indexing, BigQuery and GA4.

Source: https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-for-marketers  
Author: Dipuck Jones, founder of MentionX  
Updated: 4 November 2026  
Level: Practitioner

**This free track teaches marketers to use Google Search Console in 2026, from setup and the Performance report to generative AI reports, indexing, BigQuery export and AI visibility measurement.**

> **Key takeaways**
>
> - Lessons 1-6: setup, Performance, filters, branded split and Insights.
> - Lessons 7-8: generative AI reports and control.
> - Lessons 9-15: indexing, sitemaps, inspection, speed, links, crawl and multimodal.
> - Lessons 16-21: GA4, Data Studio, BigQuery, API, AI visibility and a routine.

*Checked 4 November 2026 (CET) against Search Console Help and Google Search Central documentation. Search Console reports and rollouts change often, and some features only appear for eligible properties, so confirm in your own property. "Our view" marks MentionX opinion. Ledgerline is a fictional company used for illustration.*

## What's in the track?

| # | Lesson |
|---|---|
| 1 | [How Search Console works in 2026](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-how-it-works-2026) |
| 2 | [Setup: properties, verification and permissions](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-setup-properties-verification) |
| 3 | [Performance report basics](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-performance-report-basics) |
| 4 | [Filters, regex and comparisons](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-filters-regex-comparisons) |
| 5 | [The branded queries filter](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-branded-queries-filter) |
| 6 | [Insights report and query groups](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-insights-query-groups) |
| 7 | [The generative AI performance report](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-generative-ai-performance-report) |
| 8 | [The Search generative AI control](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-generative-ai-control) |
| 9 | [Page indexing report](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-page-indexing-report) |
| 10 | [Sitemaps report](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-sitemaps-report) |
| 11 | [URL Inspection](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-url-inspection) |
| 12 | [Core Web Vitals report](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-core-web-vitals) |
| 13 | [Links report](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-links-report) |
| 14 | [Crawl stats and removals](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-crawl-stats-removals) |
| 15 | [Multimodal search and platform properties](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-multimodal-platform-properties) |
| 16 | [Linking Search Console to GA4](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-ga4-linking) |
| 17 | [Data Studio (Looker Studio) reporting](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-data-studio-reporting) |
| 18 | [Bulk data export to BigQuery](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-bigquery-bulk-export) |
| 19 | [The API and AI analysis with Claude and ChatGPT](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-api-ai-analysis) |
| 20 | [Search Console and AI visibility beyond Google](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-ai-visibility-connection) |
| 21 | [A monthly Search Console routine](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-monthly-routine) |

## How is the track organised?

**Part 1: Foundations (lessons 1–3).** How Search Console works in 2026, properties, verification and permissions, and the Performance report.

**Part 2: Queries and demand (lessons 4–6).** Filters, regex and comparisons, the branded queries filter, and the Insights report with query groups.

**Part 3: AI search (lessons 7–8).** The generative AI performance report and the Search generative AI control.

**Part 4: Indexing and site health (lessons 9–15).** Page indexing, sitemaps, URL Inspection, Core Web Vitals, links, crawl stats and removals, and multimodal and platform properties.

**Part 5: Connect and automate (lessons 16–19).** GA4 linking, Looker Studio reporting, bulk export to BigQuery, and the API with Claude and ChatGPT.

**Part 6: AI visibility and routine (lessons 20–21).** Search Console next to AI visibility beyond Google, and a monthly routine.

## Who is it for?

Marketers, content leads and founders who need Search Console without being technical SEOs.

*Our view:* the generative AI report and the branded filter make Search Console more useful for marketers in 2026 than ever.

> **Pro move:** start with lesson 1, then jump to lesson 7 if AI Overviews is your concern.

## Related tracks

- [GA4 for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/ga4/ga4-for-marketers)
- [ChatGPT for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/chatgpt/chatgpt-for-marketers)
- [Claude for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/claude/claude-for-marketers)
- [Google Ads for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/google-ads/google-ads-for-marketers)

## Which lessons answer which question?

Most people arrive with a specific question rather than a free afternoon. Use this table to jump in.

| Your question | Start with | Then read |
|---|---|---|
| "Are we showing up in AI Overviews or AI Mode?" | [The generative AI performance report](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-generative-ai-performance-report) | [The Search generative AI control](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-generative-ai-control), [Search Console and AI visibility beyond Google](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-ai-visibility-connection) |
| "Why did organic traffic drop last month?" | [Performance report basics](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-performance-report-basics) | [Filters, regex and comparisons](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-filters-regex-comparisons), [Page indexing report](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-page-indexing-report), [URL Inspection](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-url-inspection) |
| "Is SEO bringing new people or just our existing fans?" | [The branded queries filter](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-branded-queries-filter) | [Insights report and query groups](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-insights-query-groups) |
| "Why isn't my new page in Google?" | [URL Inspection](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-url-inspection) | [Page indexing report](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-page-indexing-report), [Sitemaps report](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-sitemaps-report) |
| "How do I give the agency access safely?" | [Setup: properties, verification and permissions](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-setup-properties-verification) | - |
| "Which organic pages actually convert?" | [Linking Search Console to GA4](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-ga4-linking) | [Data Studio (Looker Studio) reporting](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-data-studio-reporting) |
| "We have more than 1,000 queries and the UI cuts them off" | [Bulk data export to BigQuery](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-bigquery-bulk-export) | [The API and AI analysis with Claude and ChatGPT](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-api-ai-analysis) |
| "How do we measure ChatGPT and Claude too?" | [Search Console and AI visibility beyond Google](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-ai-visibility-connection) | [A monthly Search Console routine](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-monthly-routine) |
| "Our site feels slow; does Google think so?" | [Core Web Vitals report](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-core-web-vitals) | [Crawl stats and removals](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-crawl-stats-removals) |

## What changed in Search Console between 2025 and 2026?

If you last used Search Console a couple of years ago, these are the additions that matter most for marketers. Each is covered in a lesson and checked against Google's own documentation.

| Addition | When Google announced it | Why marketers care | Lesson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Query groups in Insights | October 2025 | Clusters variants of the same question | 6 |
| Branded queries filter | November 2025 | Separates brand demand from SEO reach | 5 |
| Custom chart annotations | November 2025 | Puts launches and releases on the chart | 3 |
| AI-powered configuration | December 2025 | Builds filters from a written request | 4 |
| Generative AI performance reports | June 2026 | Impressions in AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover AI features | 7 |
| Platform properties | July 2026 | Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube in Google Search | 15 |
| Search generative AI control | Rolled out to all sites 31 August 2026 | Include or exclude AI features at property level | 8 |
| Web: multimodal search type | September 2026 | Searches that start with an image | 15 |

Some of these only appear for properties with enough data, or roll out gradually. If a lesson describes a feature you can't see, check the eligibility notes in that lesson before assuming you're doing something wrong.

## What do you need before lesson 1?

- **Access.** At least a full user on a Search Console property for your site. Lesson 2 covers how to get it and what each permission level allows.
- **Ideally a Domain property.** It covers every subdomain and protocol. If your company only has a URL-prefix property, lesson 2 explains how to add a Domain property with a DNS record.
- **A GA4 property** if you want lesson 16 onwards. The [GA4 for Marketers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/ga4/ga4-for-marketers) track covers setup.
- **A spreadsheet.** Many exercises export data and ask you to keep a simple monthly sheet. Lesson 21 turns it into a routine.
- **Optional:** a Google Cloud project with billing for lesson 18, and access to Claude or ChatGPT for lesson 19.

## How the track uses Ledgerline

Every lesson includes a worked example from Ledgerline, a fictional accounts-payable software company. Ledgerline has a product site, a blog, a glossary, a help centre and a YouTube channel, which covers most situations a B2B marketing team meets. The examples show the decision process and the clicks involved. They never include real figures, because Ledgerline doesn't exist.

## Three principles that run through every lesson

1. **Trends over totals.** Search Console counts clicks and impressions differently from GA4, Data Studio and BigQuery. Different tools will rarely agree on totals, but they should agree on direction. Every lesson compares periods rather than chasing exact numbers.
2. **Key pages first.** Sites have thousands of URLs that don't matter. Lessons 9 to 12 teach you to filter health reports to your most important pages, usually through a key-pages sitemap.
3. **Google is one AI surface among several.** Search Console now shows AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover AI features, but nothing about ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity or Copilot. Lesson 20 connects the pieces.

## How long does the track take?

Reading time varies by lesson, but plan on an evening for lessons 1-6, which cover the reports you'll use every week. Lessons 7-8 are short and decision-heavy. Lessons 9-15 are reference material you'll come back to when something breaks. Lessons 16-21 involve setup work with GA4, Data Studio, BigQuery or AI assistants, so budget time for permissions and waiting for data to arrive.

## A suggested four-week plan

| Week | Lessons | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1-3 | Clean access, a Domain property, annotations and a first monthly read |
| 2 | 4-6 | Saved regex views, a brand split baseline and a weekly Insights habit |
| 3 | 7-11 | An AI exposure sheet, a decision on the generative AI control, a key-pages sitemap and a launch checklist |
| 4 | 16-21 | GA4 linked, a dashboard, bulk export started, a combined AI visibility sheet and the monthly routine |

Lessons 12-15 are best read when you need them: speed problems, link work, crawl incidents or visual and social content.

## How the track relates to other MentionX guides

Some topics here also appear in shorter guides elsewhere on MentionX. Those guides go deeper on one angle; this track shows how the pieces fit in Search Console.

- AI Overviews data: [what the Search Console AI Overviews data shows](https://mentionx.ai/learn/measurement/search-console-ai-overviews-data-shows) and [forecasting traffic loss from AI Overviews](https://mentionx.ai/learn/measurement/forecasting-traffic-loss-from-ai-overviews).
- Crawling and indexing: [how websites get crawled and indexed](https://mentionx.ai/learn/foundations/websites-get-crawled-indexed) and [XML sitemaps for AI discovery](https://mentionx.ai/learn/technical/xml-sitemaps-ai-discovery).
- Controls: [Google-Extended](https://mentionx.ai/learn/technical/google-extended-controls) and [robots.txt for AI crawlers](https://mentionx.ai/learn/technical/configure-robots-txt-ai-crawlers).
- Measurement beyond Google: [tracking AI traffic in GA4](https://mentionx.ai/learn/measurement/track-ai-traffic-ga4) and [measuring AI share of voice](https://mentionx.ai/learn/measurement/measure-ai-share-voice).

## Which lessons should you start with for your role?

| Your role | Start with | Then read | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| SEO lead | 1-3 | 4-21 | Read it all in order and own the monthly routine |
| Content lead | 1-3 | 4-6, 11 | Queries and pages turned into briefs |
| PR or brand | 1-3 | 5, 13, 20 | Brand demand, links and AI mentions |
| Analyst | 1, 2 | 16-19 | Search Console in GA4, Looker Studio, BigQuery and the API |

## What you need before starting

Owner or full-user access to Search Console, access to your analytics, and a shared sheet for notes. Analysts will also want a Google Cloud project for lessons 18-19.

## What should you check before the next lesson?

- Confirm you can access Search Console.
- Start lesson 1.

Next: [How Search Console works in 2026](https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-how-it-works-2026).

## Common questions

**Is this course free?** Yes, with no sign-up.

**Does it cover AI Overviews and AI Mode?** Yes. Lessons 7 and 8 cover the generative AI report and control.

**Does Search Console show ChatGPT data?** No. Lesson 20 explains how to measure other assistants.

## Sources

- Search Console Help, [Performance report (Search results): Overview and basic setup](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7576553)
- Search Console Help, [Generative AI performance report (Search)](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16984139)
- Search Console Help, [Search generative AI control](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16908024)
- Search Console Help, [Insights report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16308503)
- Search Console Help, [Start a new bulk data export](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/12917675)
- All accessed 4 Nov 2026.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is this course free?

Yes, with no sign-up.

### Does it cover AI Overviews and AI Mode?

Yes. Lessons 7 and 8 cover the generative AI report and control.

### Does Search Console show ChatGPT data?

No. Lesson 20 explains how to measure other assistants.

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Written and reviewed by Dipuck Jones for MentionX Learn. The HTML version of this page: https://mentionx.ai/learn/search-console/search-console-for-marketers