# Google Search Console

**Required** for migration baseline + post-launch monitoring. GSC is the only source for first-party impressions / clicks per URL pre-migration — modelled estimates from Semrush/Ahrefs cannot substitute.

## CLI commands

```bash
# Pre-migration baseline (PULL THIS BEFORE THE MIGRATION DATE)
our research search-console pages --site sc-domain:<old-domain> --days 90
our research search-console combined --site sc-domain:<old-domain> --days 90
our research search-console queries --site sc-domain:<old-domain> --days 90

# Post-migration (after new domain is verified in GSC)
our research search-console pages --site sc-domain:<new-domain> --days 28
our research search-console combined --site sc-domain:<new-domain> --days 28
```

`sc-domain:` prefix for Domain-verified properties; URL-prefix uses plain URL.

## Baseline checklist

Pre-migration, capture at minimum:

| File | Source | Window |
|---|---|---|
| `gsc-pages-90d.json` | `our research search-console pages` | 90 days pre-migration |
| `gsc-combined-90d.json` | `our research search-console combined` | 90 days pre-migration |
| `gsc-queries-90d.json` | `our research search-console queries` | 90 days pre-migration |

Store these alongside the OurSEO crawl baseline in the migration workspace.

## Post-launch monitoring

1. Wait for the new domain to verify in GSC (~24h after DNS propagation + sitemap submission).
2. Pull `pages` and `combined` on the new domain at +7d, +14d, +28d, +60d, +90d.
3. Diff against the baseline: which URLs lost impressions? Which queries dropped?
4. Cross-reference with OurSEO redirect verification — broken redirects are the most common cause of impression loss.

## Ahrefs GSC alternates

If both old and new domains are connected as Ahrefs projects:

```
mcp__ahrefs__gsc-pages(project_id="<id>")
mcp__ahrefs__gsc-pages-history(project_id="<id>")
mcp__ahrefs__gsc-performance-history(project_id="<id>")
```

## Not for this skill when

- **Pre-migration baseline before GSC verification** of the property — not possible. Get the domain verified well in advance.
- **Competitor migration analysis** — GSC is single-site.

Gotcha: `our-claude-skills/custom-skills/15-seo-search-console/code/gotcha/gsc-cli-integration.md`.
