How to track keywords in Google Analytics (step-by-step for 2026)

Why Google Analytics does not show all keywords

If you have ever opened Google Analytics and searched for a list of keywords bringing traffic to your site, you have already encountered the problem. GA4 reports on sessions, users, events, and conversions, but it does not show you the organic search queries people typed to reach your pages. That data sits in Google Search Console, not Google Analytics.

This was not always the case. The old Universal Analytics had a keyword report that showed organic search terms alongside traffic data. Google removed direct keyword visibility from Analytics when it moved to encrypted search in 2011, gradually replacing keyword data with the now-familiar '(not provided)' label. The shift was framed as a privacy measure, and the data moved to Search Console instead.

The practical result is that tracking keywords in Google Analytics requires connecting it to Google Search Console. Once you complete that connection, GA4 imports Search Console data and makes it available inside a dedicated reporting section. You can then see which search queries brought users to your site, what your average position was for each query, how many times your page appeared in results, and how many people clicked through.

Understanding this distinction matters because many people spend time looking for keyword data in the wrong place. GA4 is excellent for understanding what users do after they arrive. Search Console is the source of data about how they found you in the first place. The integration brings both together in one interface.

How to connect Google Search Console to Google Analytics

Before you can see keyword data in GA4, you need to link your Search Console property to your GA4 property. Both must be verified under the same Google account, or the account doing the linking must have the appropriate admin access to both.

1. Open Google Analytics and navigate to your GA4 property.
2. Click the gear icon at the bottom left to open Admin settings.
3. Under the Property column, find and click Search Console Links.
4. Click Link and then choose your verified Search Console property from the list.
5. Select the web data stream you want to link - for most sites this is the single web stream tied to your domain.
6. Review the summary and click Submit to complete the link.

The connection takes up to 24 hours to activate. Once live, Search Console data appears in GA4 under Reports, inside a section called Search Console. The data is not retroactive - it begins from the date you make the connection, so set this up as early as possible.

If your Search Console property does not appear in the list, check that the Google account you are using has owner or full user access to the Search Console property. Restricted access levels cannot create the link.

Where to find keyword data in Google Analytics 4

Once the Search Console integration is active, keyword data appears in two reports within GA4.

The first is the Queries report, found under Reports, then Search Console, then Queries. This report shows every search query your site has appeared for in Google, along with clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and average position. This is the closest equivalent to the old keyword report from Universal Analytics.

The second is the Google organic search traffic report, also under Search Console. This report overlays Search Console query data with GA4 engagement metrics, so you can see not just which queries brought users to your site but also how those users behaved after arriving - how long they stayed, how many pages they visited, and whether they converted.

Within the Queries report, apply filters to focus on what matters. Filter by page to see which queries are driving traffic to a specific URL. Filter by country to see query performance in your target market. Sort by impressions to find keywords your pages appear for frequently but receive few clicks from - these are your optimisation opportunities.

A keyword with 5,000 impressions and a 1% click-through rate is generating 50 clicks per month. If the search intent matches your page and you can improve your title tag and meta description, a 3% click-through rate would give you 150 clicks from the same impressions. Finding those gaps is one of the most direct ways to increase organic traffic without creating new content.

Tracking keyword performance over time

The Queries report in GA4 defaults to a 28-day window, which is long enough to see patterns but short enough to miss seasonal trends. To track performance over time, use the date comparison feature to compare one period against the previous equivalent period.

Comparing the last 28 days against the same 28 days in the previous month shows you which keywords are gaining impressions, which are losing clicks, and which have shifted position. A keyword that held position 4 last month and now sits at position 7 warrants investigation. A keyword that has doubled its impressions without a corresponding increase in clicks suggests a title tag or meta description problem.

For longer-term trend analysis, Google Search Console itself offers more flexibility than the GA4 integration. The Search Console interface lets you view up to 16 months of data and plot impressions, clicks, position, and click-through rate over custom date ranges. The GA4 integration is best for combining keyword data with on-site behaviour data; Search Console directly is best for pure keyword trend analysis.

Set a regular keyword review calendar. A monthly review of your top 50 keywords by impressions, checking for position changes, click-through rate drops, and new queries appearing, takes around 30 minutes and gives you an early warning system for content that is losing visibility. Add a quarterly review that looks at a wider set of queries to spot emerging opportunities your current content does not cover.

Building a keyword tracking report

GA4 allows you to create custom reports and add them to your navigation for quick access. Building a dedicated keyword tracking report saves time on every review cycle.

To create a custom exploration report focused on keywords, navigate to Explore in the left-hand menu and create a new blank exploration. Add the following dimensions: Search term (from the Search Console dimension group), Landing page, Country. Add the following metrics: Clicks, Impressions, Average position, Click-through rate, Sessions, Engagement rate.

This report gives you the full picture of keyword performance: how many times a query appeared, how many clicks it generated, where the ranking sits, and whether the users who arrived from that query engaged with the content.

Save the exploration and return to it each month. Export the data to a spreadsheet in Google Drive or track it in Notion or Airtable to build a historical record. A running spreadsheet of monthly keyword positions across your top 100 queries gives you a performance dataset that no individual tool report can replicate, because it captures the context of what you did and when.

Combining Google Analytics with Semrush or Ahrefs

Google Analytics and Search Console together give you accurate data on keywords your site has already ranked for. They do not show you competitor rankings, keyword difficulty, or search volume for keywords you have not yet targeted. For that, you need a dedicated SEO tool.

Semrush and Ahrefs both allow you to import or connect to your own site data and cross-reference it with their keyword databases. In Semrush, the Position Tracking tool monitors daily positions for your chosen keywords and compares them against competitor rankings. The Organic Research section shows every keyword your domain ranks for in their database, including estimated traffic and position history.

The most effective keyword monitoring setup uses both. Use Search Console via GA4 for accurate impressions and click-through rate on keywords Google has confirmed you appear for. Use Semrush or Ahrefs for daily position tracking, competitor keyword analysis, and identifying new keyword opportunities based on search volume and difficulty data.

This two-tool approach covers the gaps each has individually. Search Console gives you real Google data but lacks competitor context. Semrush and Ahrefs give you competitor data and volume estimates but calculate position data through their own crawlers, which can differ slightly from what Search Console reports.

For a broader view of rank tracking tools and how to set up monitoring beyond Google Analytics, the keyword rank tracking guide covers the full range of tools and explains how to configure a tracking setup that serves both reporting and optimisation needs. If your keyword strategy needs a foundation, the rank tracker guide also explains which tools are best suited to different site types and budgets.

Using HubSpot for keyword and traffic reporting

For businesses using HubSpot alongside GA4, the HubSpot Traffic Analytics section provides an additional layer of organic search reporting. HubSpot pulls in session and contact data from organic search and allows you to see which pages generate the most organic traffic, though it does not provide keyword-level position data in the same way Search Console does.

HubSpot is more useful for connecting organic keyword traffic to CRM outcomes - seeing which organic landing pages generate the most leads or customers, rather than just sessions. If you use HubSpot as your CRM and marketing platform, combining its traffic reports with Search Console keyword data gives you the clearest picture of which keywords are driving business outcomes, not just visits.

What to do when keyword data is missing

Two situations produce gaps in your keyword data. The first is a Search Console property that is not verified, not linked to GA4, or covering a different URL variant than your GA4 data stream. If your GA4 tracks www.example.com but your Search Console property is verified for example.com without the www, the link will not work correctly. Check that both properties cover the same URL and resolve to the same version.

The second is the Search Console data threshold. Google applies a minimum threshold before showing a query in Search Console reports - queries with very few impressions may not appear. This means new keywords your site has just begun ranking for, or very low-volume queries, may be invisible in reports even though they are generating clicks. This is a limitation of the tool, not a tracking error.

For keywords that are too new or too low-volume to appear in Search Console, manual checking via Google Search in a private browser window, using a VPN set to your target location, gives you a rough indication of position. This is not a substitute for a rank tracker, but it fills the gap for spot checks on specific terms.

What this means for your keyword data

The combination of GA4 and Search Console gives you the most accurate picture of organic keyword performance available for free. No third-party tool has access to the raw data Google holds about how your pages appear in search results, only Search Console does.

Set up the integration, build a custom exploration report, and review it monthly. Focus your attention on high-impression, low-click-through keywords, because these represent the best return on optimisation effort: the visibility is already there, and you are leaving clicks on the table.

For keywords where you want daily position data, competitor comparison, or volume estimates for terms you have not yet targeted, add a paid tool to the stack. But start with what is free and accurate before adding complexity. Search Console and GA4, used properly, give most small and medium sites more keyword data than they have time to act on.