What You’ll Learn
- Connecting Google Search Console via OAuth or Service Account
- Assigning GSC properties to child sites
- Viewing search performance and sitemap data
- Troubleshooting common connection issues
Integration Add-on - This add-on extends MainWP to work with Google Search Console. Requires Google Search Console to be installed on your child sites.
Use this Add‑on to Monitor
Search Performance- Clicks, Impressions, CTR, Avg. Position
- Top Queries & Pages; breakdowns by Country, Device, and Search Appearance
- Daily trend chart
- Submitted vs. Indexed per sitemap
- Status & last processed dates
- Errors (when reported)
- Centralized properties with per‑site drill‑down
- Integrates with MainWP widgets and Pro Reports
- PHP 8.1 or higher on the MainWP Dashboard (required by Google libraries)
- Your sites must be verified in Google Search Console
- For JSON Import: Google Search Console API
Connect your Google Search Console Account
You can connect GSC in two ways. Use whichever fits your setup (you can use both):Option A: Sign in with Google (OAuth)
- In your MainWP Dashboard, go to MainWP > Add‑ons > Google Search Console > Add Property.
- Click Sign in with Google and follow the on-screen prompts to complete authorization.
- Next, select the GSC properties you want to connect, then click Continue and then Confirm.
- Selected properties will appear under Manage Properties and will be available to assign to child sites.
Option B: Connect a Service Account (JSON file)
Step 1 — Enable the required API (Google Cloud Console)1
Go to https://console.cloud.google.com and (optionally) create a new Project.
Go to https://console.cloud.google.com and (optionally) create a new Project.
2
Open APIs & Services > Enabled APIs & services.
3
Click + Enable APIs and Services, search for and enable the only required API:
Click + Enable APIs and Services, search for and enable the only required API:
- Google Search Console API\
- In APIs & Services, click + Create credentials and select Service Account.
- Give it a name then click Done.
- Open the new Service Account, go to the KEYS tab.
- Click Add Key > Create new key > JSON > Create.
- A JSON file will download automatically; you’ll upload it to the add-on later on.
1
Go to your Google Search Console dashboard for the relevant account/property.
2
Open Settings > Users and permissions.
3
Click Add user.
4
Copy the Service Account email from your Google Cloud Console (Service Accounts list / Credentials page).
Copy the Service Account email from your Google Cloud Console (Service Accounts list / Credentials page).
5
Paste it in the Email address field, set Permission to Full, and click Add.
- In your MainWP Dashboard, go to MainWP > Add‑ons > Google Search Console > Add Property > Import JSON File.
- Upload the JSON key and click Connect Account.
- Discovered properties will appear under Manage Properties and will be available to assign to child sites.
- The account (Google or Service Account) must have access to each property you want to see in MainWP.
- If you rotate keys or disable the Service Account, you’ll need to upload a new JSON key to re‑establish the connection.
- This add‑on does not verify sites in GSC or submit sitemaps; it reads your existing data.
Assigning a GSC Property to Each Child Site
The add-on will automatically assign properties to Child Sites based on the Child Site’s URL.However, you can still manually assign properties to child sites, by doing the following:
1
Go to MainWP > Sites > Manage Sites.
2
Locate the desired site, click on it's name and then open its Settings page
3
Find the Google Search Console section and select the matching Property
4
Click Save Settings.
Where to View Data
Dashboard Widget
- KPIs: Total Clicks, Total Impressions, Average CTR, Average Position
- Interactive performance chart (Clicks, Impressions, CTR, Position)
- Quick shortcuts to Search Performance and Sitemaps sections
Add-on Pages
Go to MainWP > Add‑ons > Google Search Console and use these tabs:- Visitor Data (per‑site):
- KPI tiles: Total Clicks, Total Impressions, Avg. CTR, Avg. Position
- Chart with series for Clicks, Impressions, CTR, Position
- Widgets: Top Queries, Top Pages, Countries, Devices, Search Appearance, Dates
- Sitemaps: Submitted vs. indexed counts by sitemap, indexing rate, last processed dates, error totals
- Manage Properties: See connected accounts/properties; actions may include Refresh Data, Reconnect (for OAuth), and Remove Property.
Settings & Data Refresh
- Graphs display interval: Pick Week or Month
- Fetch Google Search Console data automatically: Enable scheduling and choose how often MainWP should pull fresh data.
- Refresh Data: Click to fetch the latest stats immediately (Data is cached to reduce API calls; refreshing clears and updates the cache.)
GSC data in Pro Reports
If you use MainWP Pro Reports, you can include Google Search Console data in your client reports. For the full list of available tokens, see the Available Pro Reports tokens article.Troubleshooting
No data available- Confirm the site has a GSC property assigned in its Settings page
- Ensure the Google account or Service Account has access to the property in GSC.
- Try Refresh Data from the add‑on Settings or Manage Properties tab.
- If you see a red notice about authentication, click Verify and sign in again.
- Create a new JSON key for the Service Account, then upload it on Add Property to reconnect.
Related Resources
- Analytics Add-ons - Browse all analytics integrations
- Pro Reports Extension - Include GSC data in reports
- Available Pro Reports Tokens - Google Search Console tokens