Connecting Google Search Console

Google Search Console tells Scout which queries bring people to your site, which pages they land on, how often your pages appear in results, and where Google is having trouble indexing them.

What it unlocks

Clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and average position per query and landing page, with branded and non-branded queries separated.
Daily benchmark snapshots so changes to a page can be compared with its earlier search performance.
A small rotating sample of URL Inspection results (the indexed version Google holds, not a live test) plus sitemap warning and error counts, used as evidence when Scout proposes fixes.

Live tests and indexing requests stay in Search Console itself. Reading search data never changes anything in your Google account.

What access is requested

The Google sign-in asks for one scope: https://www.googleapis.com/auth/webmasters.readonly. This is read-only access to the Search Console properties the account can see. TractionScout stores a refresh token so syncs can continue without asking you to sign in again.

Prerequisites

A Google account that can read the Search Console property for your website. Verify the property in Search Console first if it is missing.
A TractionScout project whose website URL matches that property.
Permission to manage credentials in the project.

Search Console is one of the OAuth connections available during the alpha. Other Google-based sources may show Coming soon.

Steps

Open Configure → Data Sources and choose Google Search Console.
Select Connect Google Search Console. You are sent to Google's consent screen; approve the read-only Search Console permission with the right account and you return to TractionScout.
Choose the Search Console property from the list of verified properties on that account; the list only appears after the sign-in. An advanced fallback field also accepts a pasted https://example.com or sc-domain:example.com value.
Optionally adjust the advanced settings: brand terms for branded query classification, whether to collect indexing diagnostics, how many URLs to inspect per sync, backfill days (default 365), and the sync interval (default 60 minutes).
Save. The historical backfill starts automatically after you select the property.

After the first sync

The connection shows a backfill status while the import runs, then reports the last successful sync. Scout can then answer questions such as which non-branded queries lost clicks, which landing pages have impressions but a weak click-through rate, and which URLs Google reports as not indexed. Treat the most recent days as incomplete until a later sync confirms them; missing data is a limitation, not zero activity.

Each later sync repeats on the interval you set, refreshes the benchmark snapshot, and inspects the next batch of URLs in the rotating sample.

Common questions

Why do I not see my property in the list? The signed-in account cannot read it, or the property is not verified yet. Verify it in Search Console or sign in with an account that has access, then reopen the chooser.

Does this need Google Analytics? No. Search Console is a separate source; connect GA4 separately if it is available.

Why does the connection say "Reconnect account"? Google revoked or expired the token, or property access changed. Select the connection and sign in again; your imported history is kept.

Can Scout request indexing or change my sitemap? No. It only reads the indexed version and sitemap summaries.

Disconnecting

Open the connection in Data Sources and select Remove connection. This deletes the stored Google token and credentials together with the integration and stops all syncs. Evidence already imported into the project stays available. To also revoke access on Google's side, remove TractionScout from the connected apps of that Google account.