garrettjsmith 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
| You Need | Use GSC | Use Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Actual clicks and impressions from Google | ✅ Only source of truth | — |
| What queries drive traffic to which pages | ✅ Only source of truth | — |
| Click-through rate per query/page | ✅ Only source of truth | — |
| Average position per query | ✅ Ground truth | Semrush/Ahrefs estimates |
| Is a specific page indexed? | ✅ | — |
| Core Web Vitals per page | ✅ | — |
| Crawl errors and issues | ✅ | Screaming Frog (more detailed) |
| Keyword search volume | ❌ No volume data | Semrush, DataForSEO |
| Competitor keyword data | ❌ Your site only | Semrush, Ahrefs |
| Backlink data | ❌ Very limited | Ahrefs |
| Local pack rankings | ❌ Organic only | Local Falcon |
| Citation data | ❌ | BrightLocal |
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:
- Filter pages by URL containing "/locations/" or your location page pattern
- Get clicks, impressions, CTR, average position per page
- 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):
| Position | Expected CTR |
|---|---|
| 1 | 25-35% |
| 2 | 12-18% |
| 3 | 8-12% |
| 4-5 | 5-8% |
| 6-10 | 2-5% |
| 11-20 | 0.5-2% |
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:
- All queries with impressions, filtered to last 3 months
- Sort by impressions descending
- 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:
- URL Inspection for specific pages — are they indexed?
- Index coverage report — any errors affecting location pages?
- 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:
- CWV report for location pages specifically
- Which pages fail LCP, FID/INP, CLS
- 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:
- Queries where you have impressions but no dedicated page
- Queries with high impressions but position 15+
- 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
| Metric | What It Is | Local SEO Context |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks | Actual clicks from Google to your site | The number that matters — this is real traffic |
| Impressions | Times your page appeared in search results | Shows demand even if you're not getting clicks |
| CTR | Clicks ÷ Impressions | Low CTR = title/meta issue. Compare to position benchmarks |
| Average Position | Average ranking position for a query | Remember: this is organic only, not map pack |
What to Do Next
| What You Found | Next Action | Skill |
|---|---|---|
| Location pages with low CTR | Rewrite title tags and meta descriptions | local-landing-pages |
| Queries without dedicated pages | Create pages targeting those queries | local-landing-pages |
| Location pages not indexed | Fix technical issues (thin content, canonical, sitemap) | local-seo-audit, screaming-frog-tool |
| CWV failing on mobile | Fix page speed issues | local-seo-audit |
| Good organic performance, want to see map pack too | Run Local Falcon scans | local-falcon-tool |
| Competitor analysis needed | GSC is your-site only — use Semrush for competitor data | semrush-tool |
| Need this in a client report | Include GSC data in performance reports | local-reporting |
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.