Social media reports are coming to Google Search Console

As a website owner, you probably deal with your online visibility on a daily basis. You optimize your content, ensure a fast hosting environment, and use Google Search Console (GSC) to keep a close eye on how your website is performing in search results. But what about the content you share on social media? After all, videos and posts on platforms like TikTok or Instagram are appearing more and more frequently in Google Search and Google Discover.

Until now, measuring this organic performance via Google has been a blind spot. But that’s changing now! Google has announced a brand-new feature: “Platform Properties” in Google Search Console.

What are “Platform Properties”?

With this new feature, Google is bridging the gap between traditional search engine optimization (SEO) and social media. You’ll soon be able to create dedicated “Properties” for your social media and video channels. At launch, the following four major platforms will be supported:

Instagram

TikTok

X (formerly Twitter)

YouTube

Once you’ve linked and verified your accounts, you’ll gain access to performance reports that look exactly like the reports you’re already familiar with from your regular website.

What insights does this provide?

Instead of just looking at the likes and views within the social media apps themselves, you’ll soon be able to see in Google Search Console how users find your social media content via the search engine. This provides valuable data:

1. Search terms (queries): What specific search queries do users enter into Google that cause your TikTok video or Instagram Story to appear?

2. Impressions and clicks: How often do your social media posts appear in Google search results or the Discover feed, and how often are they actually clicked?

3. Separate Data: Google doesn’t bundle the signals but allows you to analyze performance for each platform independently. This way, you can immediately see whether X performs better on Google than, say, Instagram.

For content creators and marketing teams, this is a huge step forward. It helps you understand what your target audience is searching for and what kind of content you need to create to be found even more easily.

Note: Not available yet (rolling out gradually)

Did you open Search Console right away and not see the option yet? Don’t panic! Google has explicitly stated that this feature isn’t available to everyone yet.

The new platform properties will be rolled out gradually to all users worldwide over the coming weeks. So you may have to be patient for a little while longer until the “Platform” option appears when adding a new property.

What can you do right now?

Even if you might still have to wait a bit for the update to appear in your dashboard, you can start preparing now:

• Set up your channels: Make sure you have the login credentials and administrative rights for your business’s or website’s official Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube accounts.

• Keep an eye on Search Console: Check regularly under “Add Property” in Google Search Console over the coming weeks to see if the feature is already active for you.

• Keep creating valuable content: Google indexes social media content based on relevance and quality. So keep publishing, above all, useful videos and posts that meet the search needs of your target audience.

With this update, Google is showing that the line between websites and social media is finally blurring. A great opportunity to expand your online reach even further!

Do you need help setting up your website, are you looking for a solid foundation for your online business, or would you like to learn more about SEO optimization? Take a look at our knowledge base or contact the MijnHostingPartner.nl help desk!