In Episode #447, Eric and Neil discuss whether or not you should rely on Google Search Console data. Tune in to learn the difference between Google Search Console’s data to Google Analytics’ data and why it’s important to cross-reference what you see with other tools.
Time Stamped Show Notes:
- [00:27] – Today’s topic: Should You Rely on Google Search Console Data?
- 00:38 – Neil does not see Google Analytics’ data matching that of Google Search Console’s
- [00:48] – Google Analytics removes bot traffic while Google Search Console picks up more bot traffic
- [01:05] – Google Search Console doesn’t update their information as often
- [01:23] – Google Search Console is still helpful
- [01:50] – Make sure to still cross-reference with other tools
- 02:30 – Marketing School is giving away 90-day FREE trial to Crazy Egg which is a visual analytics tool
- 02:33 – Go to SingleGrain.com/giveaway to get your FREE copy
- [02:43] – That’s it for today’s episode!
3 Key Points:
- Google Search Console’s data won’t always match that of Google Analytics’.
- Google Search Console is usually a week behind in updating information.
- Don’t rely on Google Search Console alone, cross-reference with other tools.
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The post Should You Rely on Google Search Console Data? | Ep. #447 appeared first on Marketing School Podcast.
Full Transcript of The Episode
Speaker 1: Get ready for your daily dose of marketing strategies and tactics from entrepreneurs with the guile and experience to help you find success in any marketing capacity. You're listening to Marketing School with your instructors Neil Patel and Eric Siu.
Eric Siu: Welcome to another episode of Marketing School. I'm Eric Siu.
Neil Patel: And I'm Neil Patel.
Eric Siu: Today, we are going to talk about if you should rely on Google search console data. Neil, what are your thoughts around this?
Neil Patel: It's funny. I've noticed that my Google search console data doesn't always match up with analytics. Technically, for every website that I have access to, I've never seen it match up with Google analytics. It's either under quite a bit, or over. The other thing that I've noticed is, Google analytics removes a lot of bot traffic. Google search console, on the other hand, picks up a lot more bot traffic than Google analytics.
From what I'm seeing, people are spamming Google and clicking on your side and trying to spam away. The other thing that I've noticed is, Google search console doesn't update their information as frequently. Sometimes they're missing some days. When you guys listen to this podcast, it won't be the case but right now, Google search console is six or seven days behind what it normally is.
Eric Siu: The way I look at it, it's basically the same thing as what Neil is seeing, but it's helpful. Neil talks about cross-referencing it with Google analytics. I think when you have multiple analytics to look at, it's helpful. Whether you're using Google analytics, you're using Mixpanel, you're using KISSmetrics. Whatever you're using exactly, make sure you're cross-referencing it. Not everything is going to be 100%. As long as it's not completely off. Neil, what kind of changes are you seeing? Is it a 20% difference? 10%? 5%? 100%?
Neil Patel: For me, I'm at roughly a 31% difference.
Eric Siu: You do want to make sure you're cross-referencing it, in general. That doesn't mean that we don't look at Google search console. We do look at it quite often, especially it does give you some good insights on stuff you should be changing, such as your meta-description, your titles, and things like that. Neil, anything else?
Neil Patel: As Eric mentioned, last but not least, it's not that it's not reliable. It's that you shouldn't rely on it as your only source. Use Google search console, use Google analytics, use your server logs. Whatever you have. Use your database, but with the combination of everything, you can get accurate data or accurate enough data to make informed decisions.
Eric Siu: Great. That's it for today. If you want to get a 90-day free trial to Crazy Egg, which is a heat mapping tool, you can go to Singlegrain.com slash, giveaway to learn more. No credit card is required, and it's worth up to $3000. Should be a no-brainer, and we will see you tomorrow.
Speaker 1: This session of Marketing School has come to a close. Be sure to subscribe for more daily marketing strategies and tactics to help you find the success you've always dreamed of. Don't forget to rate and review, so we can continue to bring you the best daily content possible. We'll see you in class tomorrow, right here on Marketing School.
Eric Siu: Welcome to another episode of Marketing School. I'm Eric Siu.
Neil Patel: And I'm Neil Patel.
Eric Siu: Today, we are going to talk about if you should rely on Google search console data. Neil, what are your thoughts around this?
Neil Patel: It's funny. I've noticed that my Google search console data doesn't always match up with analytics. Technically, for every website that I have access to, I've never seen it match up with Google analytics. It's either under quite a bit, or over. The other thing that I've noticed is, Google analytics removes a lot of bot traffic. Google search console, on the other hand, picks up a lot more bot traffic than Google analytics.
From what I'm seeing, people are spamming Google and clicking on your side and trying to spam away. The other thing that I've noticed is, Google search console doesn't update their information as frequently. Sometimes they're missing some days. When you guys listen to this podcast, it won't be the case but right now, Google search console is six or seven days behind what it normally is.
Eric Siu: The way I look at it, it's basically the same thing as what Neil is seeing, but it's helpful. Neil talks about cross-referencing it with Google analytics. I think when you have multiple analytics to look at, it's helpful. Whether you're using Google analytics, you're using Mixpanel, you're using KISSmetrics. Whatever you're using exactly, make sure you're cross-referencing it. Not everything is going to be 100%. As long as it's not completely off. Neil, what kind of changes are you seeing? Is it a 20% difference? 10%? 5%? 100%?
Neil Patel: For me, I'm at roughly a 31% difference.
Eric Siu: You do want to make sure you're cross-referencing it, in general. That doesn't mean that we don't look at Google search console. We do look at it quite often, especially it does give you some good insights on stuff you should be changing, such as your meta-description, your titles, and things like that. Neil, anything else?
Neil Patel: As Eric mentioned, last but not least, it's not that it's not reliable. It's that you shouldn't rely on it as your only source. Use Google search console, use Google analytics, use your server logs. Whatever you have. Use your database, but with the combination of everything, you can get accurate data or accurate enough data to make informed decisions.
Eric Siu: Great. That's it for today. If you want to get a 90-day free trial to Crazy Egg, which is a heat mapping tool, you can go to Singlegrain.com slash, giveaway to learn more. No credit card is required, and it's worth up to $3000. Should be a no-brainer, and we will see you tomorrow.
Speaker 1: This session of Marketing School has come to a close. Be sure to subscribe for more daily marketing strategies and tactics to help you find the success you've always dreamed of. Don't forget to rate and review, so we can continue to bring you the best daily content possible. We'll see you in class tomorrow, right here on Marketing School.
