Improving SEO with a Search Console bubble chart

📊 What is the Bubble Chart in Search Console (via Looker Studio)? #

• A visualization that maps:
  
  • X-axis → Click-Through Rate (CTR)
    
  • Y-axis → Average Position (1 at the top)
    
  • Bubble Size → Click volume
    
  • Bubble Color → Device category (mobile, desktop, etc.)
    
• Helps identify SEO opportunities by showing which queries are performing well and which need attention.

🔍 How to Read the Quadrants #

Imagine your chart split into 4 sections by average lines:

1️⃣ Top Position + High CTR (Best Performers)

• No major action needed.
  
• Keep monitoring to maintain rankings.
  

2️⃣ Low Position + High CTR (Big SEO Opportunity)

• Queries are relevant and attract clicks even from lower positions.
  
• Action:
  
  • Create or optimize a dedicated page.
    
  • Add richer content, FAQs, or visuals.
    
  • Strengthen internal linking.
    

3️⃣ Low Position + Low CTR (Selective Effort Needed)

• Often long-tail or irrelevant queries.
  
• Action:
  
  • Prioritize only related queries that matter to your audience.
    
  • Ignore irrelevant or off-topic queries.
    

4️⃣ Top Position + Low CTR (CTR Issue)

• Possible causes:
  
  • Competitors have better snippets (rich results, star ratings, etc.)
    
  • Title/meta doesn’t entice clicks.
    
  • Query intent doesn’t match your page.
    
• Action:
  
  • Improve titles, descriptions, and structured data.
    
  • Check search appearance in SERPs.

📈 Step-by-Step Process to Improve SEO #

1. Connect Search Console to Looker Studio
   
   • Use Site Impression table → build Bubble Chart.
     
2. Apply Filters
   
   • By date (last 28 days)
     
   • By device
     
   • By queries (exclude branded if needed)
     
3. Identify Queries by Quadrant
   
4. For Each Query:
   
   • Check related URLs in Search Console.
     
   • Optimize page with:
     
     • Better title + meta description (clear & click-worthy)
       
     • Improved headings (H1, H2) with related keywords
       
     • Updated content with synonyms, FAQs, examples
       
     • Rich snippets (schema markup where relevant)

📌 Why Use Both Together? #

• Search Console → Focuses on what happens before a user lands on your site (impressions, clicks, CTR, search queries).
  
• Google Analytics → Focuses on what happens after a user lands on your site (sessions, engagement, conversions).
  👉 Using both helps you see end-to-end performance — from search visibility to user actions.
  

🔍 What Each Tool Tracks #

Tool	Measures	Stage of Journey
Search Console	Clicks, impressions, CTR, average position	Before visit
Google Analytics	Sessions, engagement rate, returning users, conversions	During visit

⚡ How to Combine Them in Looker Studio #

1. Connect both accounts (Search Console: URL Impression table, GA: property).
   
2. Apply consistent filters:
   
   • Source = Google
     
   • Medium = Organic
     
   • Same date range (usually last 28 days).
     
3. Key metrics to track in one dashboard:
   
   • Sessions (GA)
     
   • Engagement Rate (GA)
     
   • Returning Users (GA)
     
   • Clicks (SC)
     
   • CTR (SC)

📊 How to Use the Combined Dashboard #

• Monitor Trends:
  
  • Clicks (SC) + Sessions (GA) should follow similar patterns.
    
  • A big drop in clicks → check rankings & queries in SC.
    
  • A drop in sessions but clicks stable → check GA tag, tracking, or engagement.
    
• Spot Content Gaps:
  
  • Pages with high clicks but low engagement → improve on-page content.
    
  • Pages with low clicks but high engagement → optimize titles & snippets for better CTR.
    
• Segment by Device & Country:
  
  • Use filters to compare mobile vs desktop CTR.
    
  • Check performance in key geographies.
    

⚠ Common Reasons for Data Differences #

• Timezone mismatch (GA uses your set timezone, SC fixed to PST).
  
• Cookie consent (GA may undercount if users decline tracking).
  
• Bot filtering (GA filters known bots; SC doesn’t).
  
• Canonical URLs (SC reports canonical URL, GA reports all tracked URLs).
  👉 Small differences are normal; large gaps need investigation.