If you manage a website, it’s important to track your traffic and understand where your visitors are coming from. Google offers two different tools for this: Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
Both tools have their unique features and benefits, so it’s important to understand the difference between them before deciding which one to use.
Here’s a closer look at both Google Search Console and Google Analytics, and how they can help you understand your website traffic.
What is Google Search Console (GSC)?
Google Search Console is a free service offered by Google that helps you monitor and optimize your website’s search traffic. You can use GSC to see how your site appears in Google search results, track the keywords that people are using to find your site, and diagnose any issues that may be affecting your site’s ranking.
GSC also offers a range of tools that can help you improve your site’s SEO, such as the ability to submit your sitemap to Google and request that your site be crawled more frequently.
If you’re serious about getting your website to rank higher in Google search results then Google Search Console is an essential tool for you to use.
If you want to use Google Search Console, the first step is to sign up for a free account. Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to add your website to GSC and verify that you own it. This can be done using either your Google Analytics account or your Google Tag Manager account.
Once your website is verified, you’ll be able to access all of the features that GSC offers.
Also Read: What is Google Analytics Individual Qualification (GAIQ)?
What is Google Analytics (GA)?
Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic, currently as a platform inside the Google Marketing Platform brand.
Google Analytics provides data on website usage to help website owners understand how their visitors interact with their websites. This allows website owners to improve their websites to increase online engagement and conversions.
Google Analytics was originally launched in 2005. In 2013, Google began offering a premium version of the service to enterprise customers.
Google Search Console vs Google Analytics
How are GSC and GA different?
Now that you know a little bit about both GSC and GA, let’s take a closer look at how they differ.
1) Amount of Data Provide
The main difference between GSC and GA is the amount of data that they each provide. GSC only provides data on your website’s search traffic, while GA provides data on all of your website’s traffic, including traffic from sources other than search engines.
This means that if you’re only interested in understanding your website’s search traffic, then GSC is the better choice. However, if you want to understand all of your website’s traffic, then GA is the better choice.
2) Range of Features
Another difference between GSC and GA is the range of features that each one offers. GSC offers a few features that GA doesn’t, such as the ability to submit your sitemap to Google and request that your site be crawled more frequently.
However, GA offers a much wider range of features than GSC, including the ability to track conversions, set up goals, and create custom reports.
Also, both have their unique features and benefits, so it’s important to understand the difference between them before deciding which one to use.
How are GSC and GA similar?
Now that you know how GSC and GA differ, let’s take a look at how they’re similar.
- Both Google Search Console and Google Analytics are free to use.
- Both GSC and GA offer a range of features that can help you understand your website traffic and improve your website’s SEO.
- Both GSC and GA can be accessed using your Google account.
Which one should you use for your website? – GSC vs GA?
The short answer is both! Google Analytics (GA) and Google Search Console (GSC) each provide important data that can help you improve your website.
GA provides insights into your website visitors, their behavior, and how they found your site. This information can help you improve your website design, content, and marketing strategies.
GSC, on the other hand, gives you data about how your website is performing in Google search results. This information can help you improve your website’s SEO so that it ranks higher in search results.
Both GA and GSC are free tools provided by Google, and they complement each other well. Using both tools can give you a complete picture of how your website is performing and how you can improve it.
Relevant Topic: What Is Site Search Tracking In GA4 And Why Is It Important?
How do you set up each tool GA and GSC for your website or blog?
There are a few things you need to do to set up each tool. First, you need to create an account with Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Once you have done that, you will be able to link your website or blog to each tool.
By following the simple steps below, you can get started using Google Analytics to track your website or blog’s traffic and performance:
- Sign up for a Google Analytics account and get your tracking code
- Install the tracking code on your website or blog
- Set up goals in Google Analytics to track specific conversion events on your website or blog
- Check out the reports in Google Analytics to see how your website or blog is performing
Similarly, here are the steps you need to take to set up Google Search Console for your website or blog:
- Sign up for a Google Search Console account and add your website or blog
- Use the sitemap feature in Google Search Console to submit your website or blog’s sitemap
- Use the Fetch as Google feature in Google Search Console to submit your website or blog’s pages for indexing
- Check out the reports in Google Search Console to see how your website or blog is performing in Google search results.
Both Google Analytics and Google Search Console are free tools that offer a wealth of insights into your website or blog’s traffic and performance.
Conclusion:
While there are many similarities between Google Search Console and Google Analytics, they do have some key differences. To get the most out of your website data, it’s important to be familiar with both tools and how to use them.
We’ve outlined the main differences for you in this blog post, so be sure to read on and figure out which tool is right for you. Have you tried using both Google Search Console and Google Analytics? What has been your experience?
We hope this article has helped you understand the basics of each tool and shown you where to find more information if you want to learn more. Which of these tools do you plan on using first?