Search performance

Overview

Search performance (/content/gsc) pulls Google Search Console analytics into Obsurfable. Select a property that matches your company domain (root or subdomain), choose a date range, and review top queries and pages by clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position.

You can also save high-value queries from the results into your website's query list for Monitor coverage analysis.

Who it's for

• SEO and growth teams tracking how published blog content performs in Google Search
• Content strategists finding queries to target with new Act content
• Pro users who connected a blog subdomain and want GSC data alongside Obsurfable monitoring

Prerequisites

1. Pro plan.
2. Your company website URL set in Setup (used to filter eligible Search Console properties).
3. Google Search Console: Add Obsurfable's service account email (shown on the page) as an owner on any property you want data from.
4. Server configuration: GOOGLE_INDEXING_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_JSON on the Obsurfable deployment.

Step-by-step

Open Search performance

1. From /content, click Search performance or go to /content/gsc.
2. Copy the Google Search Console owner email at the top of the page.

Grant Search Console access

1. In Google Search Console, open the property you care about — e.g. https://blog.example.com/ or a domain property for example.com.
2. Add the service account email as an Owner under Settings → Users and permissions.
3. Return to Obsurfable — the property should appear in the dropdown after permissions propagate (may take a few minutes).

Load performance data

1. Select a property from the dropdown. Only properties matching your company domain (root and subdomains) are listed.
2. Choose a date range: 7, 28, or 90 days.
3. Click Load (or data loads automatically on property/range change).
4. Review two tables:
   • Top queries — search terms driving traffic
   • Top pages — URLs receiving impressions and clicks

Save queries for monitoring

1. In the queries table, click Add next to a query you want to track in Obsurfable.
2. Saved queries appear in your website query list for gap analysis on the Queries page.
3. Use saved queries to inform new posts and query fan-out trees.

Close the Act loop

1. Publish content targeting underperforming queries on your hosted blog.
2. Confirm indexing via Index status.
3. Re-load Search performance after 1–2 weeks to see impression and click changes.
4. Re-run prompt runs to measure AI visibility alongside organic search.

Tips

• Add the service account to both root and blog subdomain properties if you publish on blog.yoursite.com — the dropdown shows whichever properties you have access to.
• Start with 28 days for a stable view; use 7 days when measuring a recent publish spike.
• Low CTR with high impressions often signals a title/description optimization opportunity on published posts.
• Add queries that overlap with your keywords and use cases for unified Monitor + GSC tracking.
• If no properties appear, double-check the service account email and that the property URL matches your company domain.

FAQ

Why is the property dropdown empty?

The service account likely lacks owner access on any matching Search Console property, or no property exists yet for your domain. Add the email as owner and wait a few minutes.

Which properties appear in the dropdown?

Only properties whose URL matches your saved company domain — including subdomains like https://blog.example.com/.

What metrics are shown?

For each query or page: clicks, impressions, CTR (click-through rate), and average position over the selected date range.

Is this the same as Index status?

No. Index status runs per-URL inspection (indexed or not). Search performance shows aggregate search analytics (queries and pages driving traffic).

Can I export GSC data?

Export is not built into this page — use Google Search Console directly for full exports. Obsurfable focuses on quick in-app review and saving queries to Monitor.

Do I need a connected subdomain to use Search performance?

No. GSC data is useful for your main site too. A connected blog subdomain property is helpful when measuring Act content specifically.