How to Export Search Console Data for Analysis

By Emily Redmond, Data Analyst at Emilytics · April 2026

TL;DR: Click the export icon in GSC's Performance report, choose your format (CSV or Google Sheets), and download. Limited to 1,000 rows at a time—apply filters to get the data you need. Use Excel/Sheets for trend analysis, competitor comparison, and custom reports.

GSC shows data on-screen, but to do real analysis—trends, comparisons, custom reports—you need to export the data.

Here's how and what to do with it.

Why Export GSC Data?

On-screen, you can see what happened last month. Exported, you can:

• Compare multiple months/years
• Find trends (is October always slow?)
• Combine GSC with GA4 data
• Share with stakeholders (they want Excel, not a screenshot)
• Create automated reports

How to Export From GSC

Step 1: Go to Performance Report

Open Performance in GSC.

Step 2: Apply Filters (If Needed)

GSC limits exports to 1,000 rows. If you have more, filter down:

• Filter by date (narrow the date range)
• Filter by position, device, country, or search type
• This gets you the data you actually need

Example: Export queries from mobile only (filter device = mobile). Then separately export desktop queries.

Step 3: Click the Export Icon

In the top-right of the data table, click the download/export icon (looks like a down arrow).

You'll see options:

• CSV: For Excel or data analysis
• Google Sheets: Opens in Google Sheets (can share with team)

Choose CSV for maximum flexibility.

Step 4: Download

Your browser downloads a CSV file (usually named search-analytics.csv).

Step 5: Open in Excel/Sheets

Open the CSV in Excel, Google Sheets, or your favorite tool.

What You Get in the Export

The export includes:

That's it. It's the same data you see on-screen, just in a file.

💡 Emily's take: The export is useful, but limited. You can't export deeper data like "clicks by country AND device" in one export. You have to manually combine multiple exports. It's why a lot of teams use Google Sheets API or third-party tools to automate GSC data pulling. But for manual analysis, the CSV export works.

Using Exported Data: Common Analysis

Analysis 1: Month-Over-Month Comparison

1. Export data for January (full month)
2. Export data for February (full month)
3. Paste both into the same Excel sheet
4. Create a VLOOKUP to compare:
   • Same keyword in both months
   • Did clicks go up or down?
   • Did position improve or drop?

Example:

This tells you what's trending up/down.

Analysis 2: Find Your Top Keywords

1. Export your Performance data
2. Sort by clicks (highest first)
3. See your top 50 keywords

Create a separate sheet for your "keyword watch list." Track these monthly to catch drops early.

Analysis 3: CTR Analysis

1. Export data
2. Filter for position 1 and position 5
3. Calculate average CTR for each position
4. Compare to benchmarks (position 1 should be 20%+, position 5 should be 3%+)
5. Find low-CTR outliers
6. Prioritize title/description rewrites

Analysis 4: Seasonal Trends

Export data for the full year (or as far back as GSC shows). Look for patterns:

Clear pattern: October–December spikes (holiday season). Plan content launches for August–September to capitalize.

Advanced: Google Sheets Automation

Manually exporting monthly is fine. But you can automate it.

Option 1: Google Sheets Add-on

Google has an add-on for Google Sheets that pulls GSC data automatically.

1. Open a Google Sheet
2. Go to Extensions → Add-ons → Get add-ons
3. Search "Google Search Console"
4. Install the official connector
5. Set it to pull GSC data daily/weekly/monthly

The data updates automatically. You don't need to export manually.

Option 2: Third-Party Tools

Services like Supermetrics, Data Studio, or SEMrush pull GSC data into dashboards automatically. More expensive, but saves time and looks professional.

Option 3: API (Developer Work)

Google Search Console has an API. A developer can build a system to automatically pull data into your database. This is for serious analytics teams.

Export Limitations

Row limit: 1,000 rows max per export. If you have more queries than that, you need multiple exports (filter by position, date range, etc.).

Data freshness: GSC data is usually current within 24–48 hours. Exports are delayed by the same amount.

Aggregated only: You can't export row-level data (individual clicks). You only get aggregated by keyword/page/country/etc.

Creating Reports From Exported Data

Once you have the data in Excel:

Monthly Report Template

1. Executive Summary

   • Total clicks: 15,000
   • Total impressions: 250,000
   • Average CTR: 6%
   • Average position: 4.2

2. Top Keywords by Clicks

   • List your top 10 keywords
   • Show position, CTR, impressions

3. Keywords to Improve

   • High-impression, low-CTR keywords
   • Keywords ranking 4–10 with high volume
   • Featured snippet opportunities

4. Month-over-Month Change

   • Clicks up/down
   • Position changes
   • New keywords ranking

5. Trends and Notes

   • Seasonal patterns
   • Competitive changes
   • Technical issues addressed

Share this with stakeholders monthly. Shows you're paying attention and improving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I export historical data? A: GSC shows up to 16 months of data. You can export any 16-month range.

Q: Can I automate daily exports? A: Not directly via the UI. Use the Google Sheets add-on or API for automation.

Q: What format should I export? A: CSV for analysis. Google Sheets if you're collaborating with a team on shared sheets.

Q: Can I export data by device, country, etc. all at once? A: No. You have to apply one filter (device = mobile) and export, then repeat for desktop, etc. Combine later.

Q: How do I track historical data if GSC only keeps 16 months? A: Export monthly and save the CSVs. After a year, you'll have a full year of data. After 3 years, you'll have 3 years of historical comparison.

Next Steps

Export your Performance data this month. Spend 30 minutes analyzing it in Excel:

• What are your top 10 keywords?
• What keywords have low CTR?
• Which ones are seasonal?

Set a calendar reminder to export monthly. Over time, you'll spot trends.

Emily Redmond is a data analyst at Emilytics — the AI analytics agent that watches your GA4, Search Console, and Bing data around the clock. 8 years of experience. Say hi →