> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://devs.surferseo.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect Google Search Console

> Connect Search Console so Surfer's site features run on your own search data.

You need a Google account with access to your Search Console property. [Connect the account](#connect-a-google-account) to let Surfer read the property's search data.

## Availability

Any Surfer account can connect Search Console. The features that use the connection keep their own plan requirements.

## Features that use Search Console data

Search Console data reaches four places in Surfer:

* Sites, Surfer's tools for a whole website: its Performance dashboard, Topical Map (content ideas for the site), and Content Audit (optimization opportunities for the site).
* Internal linking suggestions in the Content Editor, the document Surfer builds around your target keywords.
* The Topic Authority Score in Topic Research, where you explore topics and keywords for a domain. The score rates how much of a topic the domain covers and how well it ranks for it.
* The performance report in Surfer's WordPress plugin.

Content Editor guidelines come from pages that rank for your keyword. You can use the guidelines without connecting Search Console.

## Before you start

You need a Google account that has access to the property in Search Console as an owner, full user, or restricted user.

| Access in Search Console | Property listed in Surfer |
| - | - |
| Owner | Yes |
| Full user | Yes |
| Restricted user | Yes |
| Not verified | No |

Surfer asks Google for read-only access to Search Console, plus your basic Google profile and email address. Surfer never changes anything in Search Console.

If the site is not in Search Console yet, follow Google's guides to [add a property](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/34592) and [verify your site ownership](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9008080). If someone else owns the property, ask them to [add you as a user](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7687615).

## Connect a Google account

Start Google's sign-in process from Surfer's settings to connect your account.

**1. Open the Search Console settings**

Go to **Settings → Integrations → Search Console**.

![Surfer's Search Console settings page with one connected Google account, its Disconnect action, and the Add Google Account button.](https://mintcdn.com/surfer-1a8fda11/nL_dnfdx3hCbCMUy/images/integrations/google-search-console/google-search-console-settings.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=nL_dnfdx3hCbCMUy\&q=85\&s=59210e4f6a84e9444fc4bc1bcef0ebec)

**2. Add the account**

Select **Add Google Account**.

Google's sign-in opens in a new window.

If nothing opens, allow pop-ups for app.surferseo.com.

**3. Choose the account**

Pick the Google account that has access to the property.

**4. Allow Search Console access**

Keep Search Console access selected on Google's consent screen. If you unselect it, the connection fails (see [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)).

Allow access with it selected.

**5. Confirm the account is listed**

Check that the account appears in the list with its email address, **Integrated**, and how long ago you connected it.

The interactive tour below shows the same steps.

[https://app.guideflow.com/player/1pz9790tvk](https://app.guideflow.com/player/1pz9790tvk)

## Verify that your property appears

The property shows up wherever Surfer asks you to pick one, starting with site setup.

1. In the sidebar, open **SEO → Content Audit**.
2. Open the list under **Select your existing Search Console site**.
3. Find the property in the list.

If Surfer lists sites instead of showing the picker, look for the property among the cards:

* Domains awaiting site setup appear under **To configure**.
* Domains with completed site setup appear under **Your existing Content Audits and Topical Maps**.

If the sidebar opens your site, the property is already in use. Surfer also offers the property wherever you next pick one, for example for internal links in a Content Editor.

If the property is missing, no connected account can see it. Under the picker, select **Connect another account**. Anywhere else in Surfer, go to **Settings → Integrations → Search Console** and add the Google account that can see it.

## Several accounts and properties

Connect as many Google accounts as you need.

* Surfer lists properties by Google account.
* If only another Google account has access to a property, connect that account too.
* Reconnecting a listed account refreshes access for its existing row.

Surfer lists every property the account can see:

* Domain properties, marked **Domain Property**.
* URL-prefix properties. A subfolder property such as `https://example.com/fr/` is listed with its path.

The WordPress plugin matches a site to a property by domain alone, ignoring `www.` and any path. That match only lets the plugin connect. The performance report also needs permission for the pages it requests and data for them in Search Console. Without either, the report comes back empty.

A URL-prefix property covers only the addresses that start with its exact prefix. A site connected to a subfolder property sees data for that subfolder only. A Domain property covers every address on the domain:

| Address | `https://example.com/fr/` prefix property | `example.com` Domain property |
| - | - | - |
| `https://example.com/fr/blog/post` | Yes | Yes |
| `https://example.com/en/` | No | Yes |
| `https://sub.example.com/fr/` | No | Yes |
| `http://example.com/fr/` | No | Yes |

## Remove an account

Disconnecting an account stops the features that read its properties. **Disconnect** appears on accounts you connected yourself. Organization owners and admins see it on every account.

The confirmation dialog names Sites, internal linking in the Content Editor, and the Topic Authority Score. Under **Site projects affected:** it lists each site that uses this account.

The WordPress performance report stops as well. Surfer also withdraws its access in your Google account, unless the same Google account is still connected elsewhere in Surfer.

1. Select **Disconnect** next to the account.
2. Select **Disconnect** again under **Are you sure you want to disconnect?**.

![The disconnect confirmation dialog listing the features that stop working and the site projects affected.](https://mintcdn.com/surfer-1a8fda11/nL_dnfdx3hCbCMUy/images/integrations/google-search-console/google-search-console-disconnect.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=nL_dnfdx3hCbCMUy\&q=85\&s=6aff7b28d9402131197b8cf21242739e)

## Troubleshooting

A missing Google permission is fixed from the Search Console settings page. An expired connection is fixed from the site that reports it.

> **The connection fails with a permission message**
>
> The connection fails if the Search Console permission is unselected on Google's consent screen. The settings page shows this message.
>
> `Could not finalize Google Search Console connection. Make sure you have granted Search Console data permission. You can check the permissions you have granted on the apps with access to your account page.`
>
> 1. Select **Add Google Account** again.
> 2. Allow Search Console access on Google's consent screen.
>
> The message links to Google's [apps with access to your account](https://myaccount.google.com/permissions) page, where you can review or remove Surfer's access and start over.
>
> A shorter `Could not finalize Google Search Console connection.` means the sign-in did not complete. Select **Add Google Account** again. If the message repeats, write to [support@surferseo.com](mailto:support@surferseo.com).

> **A property is missing from the list**
>
> Surfer lists a property only when the connected Google account has one of the access levels in [Before you start](#before-you-start). Either:
>
> * Check the account's access in Search Console.
> * Connect the Google account that has access.
>
> The Content Editor shows `We couldn’t find any domains under this account` when the account has no domains to list. Either:
>
> * Pick another account there.
> * Select **Add Google account** to connect one.

> **A property shows little or no data**
>
> Google decides what a property reports, and Surfer cannot change it. Google's [About Search Console data](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/96568) lists these limits:
>
> * Collected data is normally available after two to three days.
> * A site newly added to Search Console can take up to a week to show data.
> * Performance reports omit rare queries to protect user privacy.
>
> A property with few impressions shows little data.

> **Internal links report a problem accessing Search Console data**
>
> A Content Editor shows `There is a problem with accessing GSC data for this property.` when Surfer can no longer read the property with the account it was set up with. Either:
>
> * Connect that Google account again from the Search Console settings. The message links there.
> * Pick a different account for the property.

> **A site card shows a warning icon and a Reconnect button**
>
> The site card shows a warning icon and **Reconnect** whenever Surfer cannot read the site's property. Two causes look the same on the card:
>
> * Google withdrew the account's access, for example after you removed Surfer from your Google account or the connection expired. Content Audit reads `Token associated with your GSC account has expired or been revoked.` Surfer removes the account from the Search Console settings.
> * The account lost permission to that one property in Search Console. Content Audit reads `Your GSC account does not have sufficient permissions.` The account stays listed in the settings.
>
> Reconnecting needs an active subscription. Without one, **Reconnect** is disabled and its tooltip reads `Start subscription to reconnect Google Search Console`.
>
> 1. Select **Reconnect** on the site card.
> 2. If the **Select account** dialog opens, another connected account can see the property. Pick it and confirm with **Use selected account**, or choose **Use different Search Console account** to sign in to Google.
> 3. If Google's sign-in opens straight away, no connected account can see the property. Sign in with the one that can.
>
> The message **Search Console reconnected** confirms the connection. The site's data refreshes shortly afterward.


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