# Google Search Console

GSC is the **first-party data source** for clicks / impressions / CTR / position in the reporting dashboard. Every other source for these metrics is modelled — when GSC is available, it is the authoritative source and should drive the corresponding dashboard sections.

## Tools used in dashboard sections

| Section | Source |
|---|---|
| First-party clicks trend | `our research search-console pages --days 90` |
| First-party impressions trend | `our research search-console pages --days 90` |
| Average CTR | computed from `pages` or `queries` |
| Top branded queries | filter `queries` output |
| Top non-branded queries | filter `queries` output |
| Cannibalization flags | `our research search-console combined --days 90` |

## CLI

```bash
our research search-console queries --site sc-domain:<domain> --days 28
our research search-console pages --site sc-domain:<domain> --days 90
our research search-console combined --site sc-domain:<domain> --days 90
```

`sc-domain:` prefix for Domain-verified properties.

## Ahrefs GSC alternates (when project connected)

```
mcp__ahrefs__gsc-performance-history(project_id="<id>")
mcp__ahrefs__gsc-pages-history(project_id="<id>")
mcp__ahrefs__gsc-positions-history(project_id="<id>")
mcp__ahrefs__gsc-ctr-by-position(project_id="<id>")
mcp__ahrefs__gsc-anonymous-queries(project_id="<id>")
```

## Reporting rule

Whenever GSC feeds a section, list it in the report's **Sources** subsection with the date window (e.g., `Clicks / Impressions: GSC (28d, 2026-04-16 → 2026-05-14)`).

Use **consistent windows** across reporting periods — switching from 28d to 90d silently changes every CTR number on the page.

## Not for this skill when

- **Competitor performance sections** — GSC is single-site.
- **Modelled traffic-value (USD)** — Semrush `overview_research`.
- **Net-new keyword discovery sections** — Semrush / Ahrefs.
- **GA4 sessions / conversions** — `our research ga4 *`.

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