--- source_url: "https://measureu.com/google-search-console-vs-google-analytics-4/" title: "Google Search Console vs Google Analytics 4: Which Tool is Best for You?" mirrored_at: 2026-08-29T01:01:43.951Z host: measureu.com cited_in_42a: true mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/measureu.com/google-search-console-vs-google-analytics-4/index" --- > **Original source:** https://measureu.com/google-search-console-vs-google-analytics-4/ _Google Search Console_ and _Google Analytics 4_ are both free tools that measure the performance of your website. GSC shows you how your website is doing in Google. GA4, on the other hand, contains data about how visitors behave on your website. Similarities and differences. Let the apple orange comparison begin… This article will give you a thorough understanding of how _Google Search Console_ and _Analytics 4_ **differ**. And **complement** each other. \[lwptoc min=”3″ hierarchical=”1″ numeration=”none” numerationSuffix=”none” title=”” itemsFontSize=”80%”\] ## What’s the difference between Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4? _Google Search Console_ helps you understand how your website is doing in Google search. Its built-in functionalities can help you improve the visibility of your website in the biggest search engine. _Google Analytics 4_ contains data about how visitors behave on your website. \[cboxarea id=”cbox-BnV5s8GWrKsyrWfa”\] #### The graphic below shows you a simplified explanation of **what GSC and GA4 track**. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/gsc-vs-ga.jpeg) Google Search Console versus Google Analytics 4 When I bake an apple cake, I don’t need to know how to grow the most tasty apples. That’s the farmer’s job. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/pie-chart-pie.jpeg) The same goes for digital marketing. Different digital departments need different data. When you launch a paid campaign, you don’t want to waste your time on analyzing the average CTR (click through rate) of your website images in _Google Images Search._ ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/google-search-console-image-ctr.jpg) GSC shows the Click Through Rate of your images appearing in Google Did you even know you can look up how many times the images of your website appeared in Google? And how many times people clicked on it? If not, it’s about time you discover _Google Search Console_. ## What is Google Search Console (GSC)? _Google Search Console_ is a free Google tool that allows you to track and improve the visibility of your website in Google search. It contains reports with errors on your website that may harm your Google ranking. It was originally developed for webmasters, but has grown into a basic but important tool for SEOs. Those are people who fill their days (and sometimes nights) with **optimizing websites for search engines**. In contrast to GA4, GSC is equipped with features and data to make that task easier. We will get to this soon. The other group of GSC users are **webmasters**. When you create a [Google Search Console account](https://search.google.com/search-console/about), you will receive a welcome mail: ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/gsc-welcome-mail.jpg) Google Search Console previously known as Google Webmaster Tool Are you not doing any SEO or webmaster related tasks? Even then, this tool can be useful for you. ## Is Google Search Console only for SEOs and webmasters? GSC is so powerful that you should add it to your **analytics data stack** if you are - a **website** or **ecommerce site** **owner** – (no questions asked) - a **digital marketer** outside the SEO field – (you can ignore the nerdy stuff) - a **web designer or developer** who cares about results – (better websites, happier clients) - a **data analyst** – (more data, more fun) As with GA4, you can share your search console account with others. Only make sure you restrict the permission of users. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/gsc-user-permissions.jpg) Change permissions in GSC in _Settings > Users and Permissions > 3 bullets_ **PRO TIP:** Users with the _Owner_ role can request the removal of (parts of) a website from Google search. That’s the last thing you want to happen. Let’s see what else you can do. ## What can you do in Google Search Console (and not in GA4)? _Google Search Console_ is more than an analytics tool. It allows you to easily inform Google about how you would like your website to appear in search. Keywords here are “inform” and “would like”. The search console is not a magic tool to reach position 1 with a few clicks. \[cboxarea id=”cbox-PyV1V3l7s790eKqt”\] ### Submit a sitemap.xml A sitemap.xml file can help search engines detect your web pages faster and easier. On our website, for instance, you can read over 270 in-depth articles about everything from [data streams in Google Analytics 4](https://www.measureu.com/understanding-data-streams-google-analytics-4/) to [how to become a Google Tag manager expert](https://www.measureu.com/google-tag-manager-tutorial/) and everything in between. That's a lot of content to sort through and a sitemap can help search engines do it. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/sitemap-xml-blogposts.jpg) One of our sitemap.xml files To submit your sitemap in _Google Search Console_, go to the menu on the left. Under **_Index_**, click on **_Sitemaps_**_._ ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/sitemap-menu-gsc.jpg) Here you fill in the last part of the URL of your sitemap and then you hit the blue **Submit** button. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/submit-sitemap-xml-gsc.jpg) And then you wait. It can take a couple of days before Google processes your sitemap.xml. When all goes well, you will see an apple green success notification. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/success-sitemap.jpg) **PRO TIP 1:** submitting a sitemap successfully in the search console does not mean that Google will show your web pages in the search results. **PRO TIP 2:** If Google doesn’t detect or process your sitemap, try with an extra backslash (**//**sitemap.xml). This will hopefully save you from the horrible headache that once chased me for 5 days. Content showing up in Google is a small victory, unless you don’t want it to appear. ### How to hide and remove content from your website in Google? Sometimes Google shows content you don’t want to appear in the search results. If that’s the case for your website, you can request to remove it directly in _Google Search Console_. To do so, click on **_Removals_**, under **_Index_** in the menu on the left. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/removals-menu-gsc.jpg) Then choose the reason you want to remove your content. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/content-removal-search-console.jpg) Request Google to remove content - **Temporarily removals**: be careful because this URL will not show up for 6 months in search results. - **Outdated content**: removing old content frees up more resources from Google to crawl your content. - **Safesearch filtering**: e.g. content that’s not suitable for certain ages. Be aware that requesting is not demanding. In that respect, Google behaves the same as a toddler. Now you know how you can use the search console to let Google know what to (not) show. Let’s see what data GSC reveals to you. ## Which data can you see in Google Search Console (and not in GA4)? There is a bit of a **data** **overlap between GA4 and GSC**. For instance, both tools show you what kind of devices your website visitors were using. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/devices-gsc-report.jpg) GSC devices This looks different and more detailed in GA4. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/ga4-devices-report.jpg) GA4 devices On top of this, there are **discrepancies in GA4 and GSC**. This stems from the way both tools collect data. Keep this in mind at all times when you look for answers to the following questions. \[cboxarea id=”cbox-qv710k7YPDEMREve”\] ### How is your website performing in Google search? **Performance** is measured with different metrics, and it is relative. A web page can - appear in search, but it can be on position 90 (and never get a click) - be on position 1, but receive no clicks (too many ads above it) - rank in Google for a keyword you didn’t aim for (embarrassing) - be visited after clicks from news, videos and image searches (a nice bonus) That said, _Google Search Console_ shows you how many times a page from your website appeared in Google, along with how many clicks it received. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/google-search-all-news-images-videos.jpg) Google search for everything, news, images and videos In _Google Search Console_, you can use these 4 different search types as a filter in the **_Performance_** report. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/google-search-console-search-type.jpg) Search types in GSC This differs from Google Analytics 4 **_Acquisition_** report, which shows you how many people visited your website **after a Google search**. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/ga4-google-visitors.jpg) GA shows you how many people visited your website after a Google search Clicks. Visits. Nice. The following feature is even more powerful. ### For which queries is your website displayed in Google? _Google Analytics 4_ doesn’t give you any information about the **keywords your website ranks for**. In _Google Search Console_, you can look them up for your pages, images, videos and news that rank for in Google. To find your ranking keywords, open the **_Performance_** report in the menu on the left. Scroll down the page to see all the queries. With the arrow, you can sort the result from most clicks in Google to your website to the lowest clicks. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/queries-google-search-console.jpg) For which queries does Google show your website? Click on a query in the list to get a detailed report for a keyword’s performance. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/keyword-gsc-performance.jpg) Details of performance of a keyword You can use filters to look up specific details, such as - Country - Period - Search type - Page - Device - Search appearance You can, for instance, compare two different periods. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/historical-data-search-console.jpg) This is handy to see whether a specific keyword performed better, the same or worse in certain periods. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/historical-query-results-search-console.jpg) Try it out. It’s fun. And useful. ## Which errors can you see in GSC (and not in GA4)? In your search console account, you can easily detect which **technical and design errors** on your website can have a negative impact on your Google ranking. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/google-search-console-emails.jpg) **PRO TIP:** Keep an eye on emails from _Google Search Console_. They notify you about errors. ### Experience reports in Google Search Console You have access to 3 different reports about the user experience of your website. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/experience-reports-google-search-console.jpg) UX reports in GSC #### Page experience This gives you an excellent overview of whether your pages are optimized for **desktop** and **mobile devices**. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/page-experience-gsc-report.jpg) #### Core web vitals This report contains answers to the following questions: - Are your web pages loading fast enough? - Are there any layout shifts that disturb visitors, such as ads and pop-ups? - How long does it take before visitors see the full content above the fold? #### Mobile usability Big fingers, poor eyesight and a small screen are a terrible combination. This report gives clear clues on which web design elements need to be improved. - Text too small to read - Content wider than screen - Clickable elements too close together - Viewport not set ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/mobile-usability-report-search-console.jpg) Report about mobile performance of your website in search console Click on an issue to see more details. You can click on the **_Export_** button and share this data with your developer or designer. This way, you don’t need to give them access to your GSC account. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/content-wider-than-screen-gsc-report.jpg) A GSC report that shows pages with content that does not fit in the screen Is your website manually punished and safe? The biggest search engine is not fully automated. A team of human moderators evaluates websites manually. If they find out that you are doing all kinds of [forbidden trickery](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/guidelines/webmaster-guidelines#specific-guidelines), your **website can be removed** from Google search. The same can happen when your website is injected with malware or [hacked](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/advanced/security/what-is-hacked). ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/security-manual-actions-search-console.jpg) This feature alone is worth having a _Google Search Console_ account. It buys you peace of mind. For free. \[cboxarea id=”cbox-1rFr2zVVTWzkD6eg”\] ### Which (back)links point to your web pages? _Google search console_ shows you two types of links: internal and external. You can access both in the menu on the left. ![](https://www.measureu.com/wp-content/uploads/links-gsc-menu.jpg) **Internal links** are links on your own website from one web page to another page. **External links** are hyperlinks on other websites to your website. The more links from quality websites, the merrier. Of course, it’s more complicated than this and the search console shows you fewer backlinks than any decent SEO tool will. This is in an orange shell what _Google Search Console_ can mean for you. Let’s look at the apple of our comparison now. ## What is Google Analytics 4? Google Analytics 4 is the successor of Universal Google Analytics. The new GA version is not a simple upgrade, but a completely new way to represent visitor behavior on websites and apps. GA4 contains new reports and offers more flexibility than ever before. If you’re not familiar with GA4, explore our resources to get you quickly up and running including the video below that explains what's new in the backend of GA4 (it's also [based on our Periodic Table of Google Analytics 4](https://www.measureu.com/google-analytics-4-periodic-table/) if you're interested in learning just about everything there is to know about GA4): ## Conclusion – Which tool is best for you: Google Analytics 4 or Google Search Console? Comparing _Google Search Console_ and _Google Analytics 4_ is like comparing apples and oranges. Both free Google tools give you insights about different aspects of your website. But they both contain important pieces of information to get a better overall understanding of the digital journey your visitors made, starting in Google search and ending on your website. **Google Analytics 4** is ideal if you are only interested in **what your website visitors do**. If you want to better understand **how your website is ranking in Google**, you will be better served with **_Google Search Console_**. There is an **overlap** of data in GSC and GA4. Since the tracking technology differs, the metrics can too. Finally, you can load a part of _Google Search Console_ data into _Google Analytics_. To do so, follow the step-by-step guide on how to connect Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4. Thank you for reading. You deserved some fresh orange juice, or a delicious apple pie. Enjoy!