Google Search Console API

Query GSC for organic search performance data: which pages are indexed, what queries drive clicks, average position, and click-through rate. This is the foundation for all SEO measurement.

Authentication

GSC uses OAuth 2.0 via Google Cloud. Set up once:

1. Create a Google Cloud project at https://console.cloud.google.com/
2. Enable the Search Console API: https://console.cloud.google.com/apis/library/searchconsole.googleapis.com
3. Create OAuth 2.0 credentials (type: Desktop app or Service Account)
4. For service accounts, share GSC property access with the service account email
5. Store credentials as GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS env var pointing to the JSON key file

Core Operations

Query search analytics (rankings, CTR, clicks)

POST https://searchconsole.googleapis.com/webmasters/v3/sites/{siteUrl}/searchAnalytics/query
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "startDate": "2026-01-01",
  "endDate": "2026-03-30",
  "dimensions": ["query", "page"],
  "rowLimit": 25000,
  "dataState": "final",
  "dimensionFilterGroups": [{
    "filters": [{
      "dimension": "page",
      "operator": "contains",
      "expression": "/solutions/"
    }]
  }]
}

Response fields per row: clicks, impressions, ctr, position, keys (array matching dimensions).

Check indexation status

POST https://searchconsole.googleapis.com/v1/urlInspection/index:inspect
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "inspectionUrl": "https://example.com/solutions/crm-for-startups",
  "siteUrl": "https://example.com/"
}

Response includes inspectionResult.indexStatusResult.coverageState — values: SUBMITTED_AND_INDEXED, CRAWLED_NOT_INDEXED, DISCOVERED_NOT_INDEXED, URL_IS_UNKNOWN.

Submit URL for indexing

POST https://indexing.googleapis.com/v3/urlNotifications:publish
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "url": "https://example.com/solutions/crm-for-startups",
  "type": "URL_UPDATED"
}

Note: The Indexing API is officially for job posting and livestream structured data, but works for requesting crawls. For bulk submissions, use sitemaps instead.

List sitemaps

GET https://searchconsole.googleapis.com/webmasters/v3/sites/{siteUrl}/sitemaps
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}

Submit a sitemap

PUT https://searchconsole.googleapis.com/webmasters/v3/sites/{siteUrl}/sitemaps/{feedpath}
Authorization: Bearer {access_token}

Where feedpath is the full URL of the sitemap (e.g., https://example.com/sitemap.xml).

Rate Limits

• Search Analytics: 1,200 queries per minute per project
• URL Inspection: 600 inspections per day per property, 2,000 per day per project
• Indexing API: 200 publish requests per day

Error Handling

• 403 Forbidden: Service account lacks access to the GSC property. Add it as a user in GSC settings.
• 429 Too Many Requests: Rate limit hit. Implement exponential backoff starting at 1 second.
• 400 Bad Request: Check date format (YYYY-MM-DD) and that siteUrl matches the property exactly (including protocol).

Pricing

Free. No usage charges. Subject to rate limits above.