Google Explains Why Analytics Click Counts Diverge From Search Console
TLDR
Google says Analytics and Search Console click counts differ because publishers receive only the domain in the referrer, not the query, and Discover and Images clicks share that same referrer.
Optimixed Overview
Optimixed's original report on this story.
Google explains that publishers receive only the domain from its referrer, never the search query, and that Discover and Images clicks share this same referrer. As a result, site owners have limited ability to distinguish those clicks in their logs. PPC Land covers the explanation for why analytics totals won't match Search Console click counts.
How we got here: earlier coverage
- Nov 9Search Console Data Shows Click Declines at French Sites, Which Gabe Links to AI Overviews
An analysis of Search Console data from French sites links AI Overviews to sharp daily click drops, though two of five sites examined held steady.
- Nov 3Search Console Shows Unexplained Click Spikes for Some Sites, Possibly a Bug
Some sites are seeing an unusually large jump in clicks in Google Search Console's performance report over the past couple of days, and it may be a reporting bug.
- Nov 2Google's Gary Illyes Suggests Search Console's AI Report Will Lack Click and Query Data
Google's Gary Illyes implied that click and query data are likely not coming to the AI performance report in Google Search Console.
- Sep 23Baidu Now Measures AI Citations with Click-Through Rate Based on Citations Rather Than Impressions
Baidu's new AI Traffic Analysis report measures click-through rate by dividing clicks by citations rather than impressions, creating a different engagement metric for AI-driven results.