Connect Google Search Console to BigQuery

BigQuery is a game-changer for analyzing SEO data, offering insights that go beyond what Search Console or other SEO tools can provide.
I will show you how to connect Google Search Console to BigQuery.

Why Export GSC Data to BigQuery?

Exporting data from GSC to BigQuery offers several benefits:

• Long-Term Data Storage: BigQuery stores data over extended periods, allowing you to analyze trends beyond GSC’s default data retention limits.
• Advanced Data Analysis: BigQuery’s SQL capabilities allow for custom queries and advanced analyses, providing insights that are difficult to obtain in GSC alone.
• Automated Reporting: Data stored in BigQuery can be connected to Looker Studio for real-time dashboards, enabling ongoing SEO monitoring and automated reporting.

How to Connect Google Search Console to BigQuery (Full Beginner Tutorial)

Video guide:

This guide walks you step-by-step through the entire process, from setting up a Google Cloud account to successfully connecting Search Console and BigQuery for automatic data export.

What You'll Need

• A Google Search Console account with Full access to a verified property.
• A Google Account (Gmail).
• 15–20 minutes.
• A credit card (required to activate the free Google Cloud plan — you won’t be charged unless you go over the free tier).

Step 1: Create a Google Cloud Account

1. Go to https://console.cloud.google.com/
2. Sign in with your Google account.
3. You’ll be prompted to set up billing:
   • Add your name, country, and card info.
   • You’ll get a $300 free credit valid for 90 days.
   • You won't be charged unless you explicitly upgrade after using the free tier.
     Without adding Payment profile you cannot do anything in Google Cloud!

Step 2: Create a Google Cloud Project

1. In the Cloud Console dashboard, click the project dropdown in the top bar.
2. Click "New Project".
3. Give it a name (e.g., search-console-export).
4. Click Create.
5. Wait a few seconds and select the project if it’s not already selected.

Step 3: Enable Required BigQuery APIs

1. In the left-hand menu, go to APIs & Services > Library.
2. Search for and enable these two APIs:
   • BigQuery API
   • BigQuery Storage API

How to enable:

• Click on each API, then click Enable.

Step 4: Grant Search Console Permission to Export Data

1. In the left-hand menu, go to IAM & Admin > IAM.

2. Click + GRANT ACCESS at the top.
   

3. In New Principals, paste this exact email address:

   search-console-data-export@system.gserviceaccount.com
   

4. Under Select a Role, assign these two roles:

   • BigQuery Job User
   • BigQuery Data Editor

5. Click Save.

💡 This is a critical step. Without these roles, Search Console cannot write to your BigQuery dataset.

Step 5: Set Up the Export in Google Search Console

1. Go to Google Search Console
2. Choose the property (website) you want to connect.
3. On the left menu, go to Settings.
4. Click Bulk Data Export.
5. Fill in the required fields:
   • Cloud Project ID: This is the project ID from Google Cloud (not the project name). You can find it in the Cloud Console under the project dropdown.
   • Dataset Name: You can keep the default (searchconsole) or use something custom (like searchconsole_mywebsite).
   • Location: Select a region (e.g., US or EU). This cannot be changed later.
6. Click Continue.

Search Console will now validate your setup. If everything is configured correctly, the export will begin automatically.

What Happens Next?

• First export will happen within 48 hours and include data from that day.
• After that, new data is exported daily.
• You can find your data in BigQuery > Explorer under the dataset you specified.

Optional But Recommended: Set Data Expiration

To avoid storage overuse:

1. Go to BigQuery > Explorer.
2. Click on your dataset.
3. Set partition expiration (e.g., delete data older than 90 days).
   • This helps control costs if you don’t need unlimited historical data.