--- title: "Search Console vs Google Analytics 4: which does what | PostCliq" description: "Search Console shows how Google finds your pages and which searches earn clicks. GA4 measures what visitors do next. What each does, and where PostCliq fits." url: "https://postcliq.com/compare/search-console-vs-google-analytics" --- # Search Console gets them to the click. Analytics counts what happens next. Two free Google tools that answer different questions. Neither reads your pages to say why a visitor did not enquire. [Audit your website](https://postcliq.com/#try-postcliq) **3 priorities** A clearer next step. Find → Understand → Act ## The short answer. VERDICT ### Use both. They are free. Search Console shows how Google finds, indexes and shows your pages, and which queries earn clicks. Google Analytics 4 measures what visitors do once they arrive, including the key events you set up as enquiries. Neither reads your pages to say why a visitor did not enquire. PostCliq does that, and with both connected it shows which pages lose clicks and which lose enquiries, beside the findings for each. ## At a glance. | Question | Google Search Console | Google Analytics 4 | PostCliq | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The basics | | | | | Main job | Search presence: indexing, queries, clicks | Measure behaviour and conversions on your site | Audit pages and rank what stops enquiries | | Free to use | Yes | Yes. Analytics 360 is the paid tier | Yes. Free, with clear weekly limits: one site (five for agencies), one audit a week, up to 50 pages | | Setup on your site | Partly. Verify that you own the site | Yes. A tag, plus key events for enquiries | No. Nothing to install; connections are optional | | Before the click | | | | | Queries that bring visitors | Yes. Sampled, some anonymised, 1,000 rows in tables | No | Partly. Reads them from Search Console when connected | | Indexing and crawl problems | Yes | No | Partly. Checks crawler access, and estimates the searches you rank for | | After the click | | | | | Sessions, engagement and channels | No | Yes | Partly. Reads aggregates from GA4 when connected | | Enquiries (key events) | No | Yes. If you configure them | Partly. Enquiry rate by landing page, from GA4 | | Reads forms, calls to action and copy | No | No | Yes. Up to 50 pages | | Speed field data | Partly. Core Web Vitals report | No | Yes. PageSpeed and CrUX, with LCP, INP and CLS | | Google visits and searches before any setup | No. Verify the site first | No. Install the tag first | Yes. A DataForSEO estimate from day one | | Named by an AI assistant | No | Partly. AI referral visits, if you set up the channel | Yes. Claude with web search, nine buyer questions a week | | Acting on it | | | | | Ranks what to fix first | No | No | Yes. Three quick wins with evidence | | History | 16 months | Standard reports keep history; explorations 2 or 14 months | Weekly audit history; reports kept 12 months | Checked 16 October 2026. Sources: Google, About Search Console (support.google.com); Google, Search Console data limits (support.google.com); Google, About Google Analytics 4 (support.google.com); Google, GA4 data retention (support.google.com); Google, Search Console in Analytics (support.google.com). PostCliq facts from postcliq.com. Features may change. No claim of complete feature parity. ## Which should you choose? ### Choose Search Console if - You need to know whether Google can find and index your pages. - You want the searches that show your pages, and the clicks they earn. - You need Google’s own alerts about your site. ### Choose Google Analytics 4 if - You need to measure traffic, channels and campaigns. - You want enquiries counted as key events. - You need audiences, attribution or Google Ads reporting. ### Choose PostCliq if - You have both and still cannot say why visitors do not enquire. - You need to know which fix to make first, with evidence. - You want speed, accessibility, security and AI visibility checked in one report. ## Use all three together. ### One Google consent One Google consent in PostCliq connects GA4 and Search Console, with the properties preselected by hostname. Both connections are read-only. ### Pages losing clicks and enquiries PostCliq shows the pages losing enquiries (GA4) and the queries losing clicks (Search Console) beside the findings for those pages. ### An estimate, labelled as one Add your own numbers, or connect GA4, and PostCliq shows what closing the gap could be worth each month. It is always labelled Estimate. [See every connection](https://postcliq.com/integrations) ## What PostCliq does not do. Knowing the limits is part of choosing well. - It does not replace Search Console’s indexing data, URL inspection or Google’s alerts. - It does not replace GA4’s measurement, attribution or campaign reporting. It reads aggregates only. - It tests one assistant, not all of them. After each weekly audit Claude, searching the web, answers nine buyer questions about your business. It does not track ChatGPT or Gemini, and its Google AI Overview figures are estimates. - It does not fix your website, guarantee results or certify security. WP Creative can make changes, as a separate and optional service. ## Questions people ask. What is the difference between Google Search Console and Google Analytics? Search Console reports what happens in Google Search before the click: impressions, clicks, queries and indexing. Google Analytics reports what visitors do on your site after the click. Most sites should run both, and both are free. Can GA4 show Search Console data? Yes, by linking the two in Google Analytics. The linked reports carry Search Console’s own limit of 16 months of data. Google documents the link and its limits in its Analytics help. Why do Search Console clicks not match GA4 sessions? They count different things at different moments. Search Console counts clicks from Google Search. GA4 counts sessions, depends on its tag firing and on consent, and reports in its own time zone. Search Console data also arrives two to three days late. Some gap is normal. Which one tells me why people do not enquire? Neither, directly. GA4 can show that a page has a low enquiry rate. To see why, someone has to look at the page: the form, the call to action, the speed and the copy. That is what the PostCliq audit does, across up to 50 pages. Does PostCliq need access to my Google accounts? No. The audit reads public pages. Connecting GA4 and Search Console is optional and read-only, imports aggregates only, and takes one Google consent with your properties preselected by hostname. ## Two ways to start. ### Run the free audit Type your domain, see a quick look at ten key pages in under a minute, then create a free account for the full report. No card. [Create a free account](https://postcliq.com/login?mode=signup) ### Try a free tool Instant checks for speed basics, the enquiry path, tracking tags and whether AI can read your site. No sign-up. [Browse the free tools](https://postcliq.com/free-tools) ## Find what stops enquiries. Free, with the evidence. [Audit your website](https://postcliq.com/#try-postcliq) Free. No credit card. Create an account for the full private report.