Root Cause Analysis: Google Analytics + Google Search Console
Why did this number change? askotter reads Google Analytics and Google Search Console together and answers it for your business, by text.
How does root cause analysis with Google Analytics and Google Search Console work for a small business?
askotter reads Google Analytics and Google Search Console side by side so it can test each explanation against your connected accounts and find the cause. A ranked list of likely causes, each with the evidence behind it.
Read the full answerShow less
The owner asks follow-up questions by text.
- From Google Analytics
- Sessions and pageviews, User demographics and geography, Traffic source and medium.
- From Google Search Console
- Search queries and impressions, Click-through rates by query, Average position by keyword.
- Status
- Both connect today.
- Not for
- Replacing Google Analytics or Google Search Console. Both keep working exactly as they do now.
Why did this number change?
Bookings dropped 23%. The ad, the website and the weather all get blamed. Without your accounts side by side, it stays a guess.
How askotter handles it
askotter reads Google Analytics and Google Search Console side by side, so it can test each explanation against your connected accounts and find the cause.
A person checks the result before it reaches you. This is part of our GA4 setup work.
How Google Analytics and Google Search Console records line up
Google Analytics and Google Search Console both report by page. URLs are normalised first (protocol, trailing slash and tracking parameters removed) and then joined page by page.
Shared between the two: the page URL.
What root cause analysis uses from each
Root cause analysis needs timestamps precise enough to put events in order.
From Google Analytics that means landing-page engagement before and after a change. From Google Search Console it means the date a page's position moved.
What each tool sees on its ownShow less
Google Analytics on its own
GA4 sees what people do on the site. It does not see refunds, repeat purchases made offline, or the deal a lead turned into later.
Timing. GA4 collects events in near real time, and Google says standard reports can take 24 to 48 hours to finish processing.
Access. The GA4 Data API with read access to the property.
Google Search Console on its own
Search Console sees the search up to the click and stops there. It cannot say whether that visitor booked, bought or left.
Timing. Search Console numbers usually arrive two to three days behind, reported as daily totals per query and page.
Access. The Search Console API with read access to the property.
Related guides
- How to Track AI Traffic in Google Analytics. It is already in your analytics. It is just filed under Referral with everything else.
- SEO Forecasting: What the Models Get Wrong. Every SEO forecast is a chain of estimates multiplied together. Understanding which link is weakest tells you how much to trust the number.
Services that use these connections
Other analyses: Google Analytics + Google Search Console
Questions about Google Analytics + Google Search Console
Do I need a developer to connect Google Analytics and Google Search Console?
How is askotter's Root Cause Analysis different from what Google Analytics shows on its own?
Connect Google Analytics + Google Search Console. Five minutes.
Plans are on the digital marketing pricing page.
Self-managed is $99/mo and scales with the compute you use. Our team runs it from $600/mo.