Google Search Console Tool

GSC has official and community MCP servers available. When connected, use it for ground-truth organic search performance data — this is the only tool that shows ACTUAL clicks and impressions from Google.

When to Use GSC vs Other Tools

Critical Distinction

GSC shows organic search performance only — not map pack, not LSA, not ads. A business can get zero clicks in GSC but rank #1 in the local pack (because map pack clicks don't show in GSC as organic clicks). Always pair GSC data with Local Falcon map pack data for complete visibility.

Core Workflows

Location Page Performance

When: User wants to know how their location pages perform in organic search.

What to pull:

1. Filter pages by URL containing "/locations/" or your location page pattern
2. Get clicks, impressions, CTR, average position per page
3. Get queries driving traffic to each location page

How to interpret:

• High impressions, low clicks (low CTR): Title tag or meta description doesn't compel clicks — rewrite them
• High position (>20), some impressions: You're on page 2-3, close to breaking through — optimize content
• Location page with zero impressions: Page may not be indexed, or keywords don't trigger it
• Impressions for queries you don't have a page for: Content gap — create a page for that query

CTR benchmarks by position (approximate):

If CTR is below expected for the position, the title/meta needs improvement.

Local Keyword Discovery

When: User wants to find keywords they're already getting impressions for but not optimizing.

What to pull:

1. All queries with impressions, filtered to last 3 months
2. Sort by impressions descending
3. Look for queries containing city names, "near me," service terms

What to look for:

• Queries with high impressions but position 8+: Optimization targets — these have demand
• Queries with "near me" variations: Confirm GBP is optimized for these services
• Queries you rank for that you didn't expect: New keyword opportunities
• Queries with city names you don't have a page for: Location page gaps

Index Coverage

When: User asks "is my page indexed?" or location pages aren't getting traffic.

What to check:

1. URL Inspection for specific pages — are they indexed?
2. Index coverage report — any errors affecting location pages?
3. Sitemap processing — is the sitemap submitted and processed?

Common issues for local:

• Location pages not in sitemap → add them
• Location pages marked "Discovered – currently not indexed" → thin content, Google didn't find them valuable enough
• Location pages blocked by robots.txt → fix robots.txt
• Location pages with "Duplicate, submitted URL not selected as canonical" → canonicalization issue between similar location pages

Core Web Vitals

When: User's pages are slow or CWV failing.

What to check:

1. CWV report for location pages specifically
2. Which pages fail LCP, FID/INP, CLS
3. Mobile vs desktop performance

For local: Mobile CWV matters most — local searches are predominantly mobile. If mobile CWV fails, fix it before other optimization.

Content Gap Identification

When: Looking for new content opportunities from actual search data.

What to pull:

1. Queries where you have impressions but no dedicated page
2. Queries with high impressions but position 15+
3. Compare queries to your existing page structure

Example: GSC shows 500 impressions/month for "emergency plumber Orchard Park" but you don't have a page specifically about emergency plumbing in Orchard Park → create one.

Key Metrics and What They Mean

What to Do Next

Default next step: GSC is the truth layer. Start every performance analysis with GSC data, then supplement with other tools. If GSC shows no impressions for a keyword, either the page doesn't exist, isn't indexed, or doesn't target the keyword properly.