Performance measurement
Search visibility and visits: what should you record first?
Understand Search Console’s four metrics and create a first record that can be compared using the same periods, query groups, and pages.
Save comparison settings before making changes
When opening the Search Console Performance report, first check the date range and search type. For your first record, select a completed period and the Web search type, then record any country, device, query, and page filters. Comparing periods of equal length with the same filters makes changes easier to explain. The groupings and tables below are working examples for a fictional dental website.
Agree on what the four metrics mean
Clicks are not visitor counts or bookings. Average position is not the position you see in a search performed right now. Read the figures using a consistent aggregation level in the report.
| Metric | How to read it |
|---|---|
| Impressions | Times the site appeared in Google Search results |
| Clicks | Clicks from Google Search results to the site |
| CTR | Clicks ÷ impressions × 100 |
| Average position | Average position of the topmost result for the selected aggregation unit |
Separate practice-name searches from local searches
In the fictional example, the practice-name group includes the exact name and its abbreviations, while the local group includes terms such as “Sinchon dentist.” Decide in advance where to place queries that include both, such as “Sinchon [practice name].” If the grouping rules change, note that on previous records too. Some queries are omitted for privacy and other reasons, so absence from the list does not prove that nobody searched for a term.
Create a page-level baseline sheet before adding numbers
Select the target URL in the Pages tab and export the figures under the same conditions. Add columns for the four metrics to the table below, enter actual values, and include the retrieval date in the filename. Most performance data is assigned to the canonical URL selected by Google; if the expected address has no figures, check its canonical too.
| Fictional target page | Conditions to fix first | Additional record |
|---|---|---|
| /visit/ | Local query group · Web · Same period | Date visit information changed |
| /treatments/implant/ | Treatment-topic query group · Same device | Dates the title and content changed |
| / | Practice-name query group · Same country | Date the practice name was revised |
Understand the scope of Google’s AI traffic
Google states that site performance from AI Overviews and AI Mode is included in Search Console’s Web search type. The Web total alone does not reveal the contribution of AI features or cover traffic from every other AI service. Calls, consultation requests, and bookings also need records separate from this report.
Attach one next check to each change
After entering real figures, first describe what you observe, such as “impressions rose but clicks stayed level,” then choose the next task, such as reviewing the query mix or page title. Recent preliminary data can change, so do not treat it as a settled comparison. If there are no improvement figures, record that honestly as the starting point for the next comparison.
- Check that the period, filters, and aggregation level match the previous record.
- Keep the original export alongside the page revision history.
- Assign a reviewer and the next retrieval date.