How to read the Search Console Performance report

Each has a precise definition worth knowing.

Switch tabs to break data down by Queries, Pages, Countries, Devices, Search appearance, and Dates. Add filters to narrow it, for example a page filter for one URL, then view its queries. Query and page filters accept regular expressions using RE2 syntax, which lets you group question queries or exclude branded terms. Use Compare in the date filter to place two periods side by side, and sort by the difference column.

Which queries is a page showing for? Which pages gained or lost clicks after a release? Which queries have high impressions but low CTR, suggesting a title or snippet improvement? Which pages rank in positions 5 to 15, close to page-one visibility? How does mobile compare with desktop? Is non-branded visibility growing? Each is a filter or comparison away.

Average position going up does not always mean ranking better; it can rise because low-ranking impressions disappeared. Some rare queries are anonymised, so the query table sums to less than the total. Data is reported in Pacific Time and the latest days are preliminary. AI Overviews and AI Mode appearances are included in totals, not separated in the standard view. And the report covers Google Search only, not Discover unless you switch report, and not other search engines.

Export tables to a spreadsheet for deeper analysis, or use the Search Console API, which returns more rows than the interface. The data covers 16 months. Linking Search Console to Google Analytics adds query data next to engagement. SerionFlow reads the same data through the API to find queries without a matching page and pages losing impressions; we track our own site this way, with baselines saved for before-and-after comparisons. SerionFlow is the wrong tool if you only want to read this report; Search Console itself is free and shows everything described here.