Google Search Console in Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM)
The Google Search Console data Sellforte uses in MMM, how it is delivered, and how queries are split into brand and generic SEO.
Introduction
Google Search Console reports organic search performance for verified web properties: the queries people typed into Google, how often the site appeared in the results, how often it was clicked, and its average position. Sellforte combines Search Console data with Google Analytics 4 to split organic search into brand SEO and generic SEO. This article describes which Search Console data Sellforte needs, how it reaches Sellforte, and how to interpret it.
What this dataset covers
The dataset contains search performance data from the Search Results report, restricted to the Web search type. It covers the verified Search Console sites that belong to the business being modeled. Image, Video and News search are not used by default.
Both URL prefix properties and domain properties can be included. A domain property covers all subdomains and both http and https, so when one is available it usually gives the most complete view of a site's organic search traffic.
Grain and sample
Each row represents one search query in one country on one date. Impressions and clicks are summed for that combination, and position is the average position across those impressions.
| date | country | query | search type | impressions | clicks | position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-20 | usa | examplebrand running shoes | web | 523 | 42 | 2.3 |
| 2026-10-20 | usa | best running shoes | web | 1240 | 18 | 6.7 |
| 2026-10-20 | gbr | trail running shoes | web | 312 | 7 | 8.1 |
Dimensions
| Field | Importance | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| date | Must-have | Daily grain, aligned with the other data sources in the model. |
| country | Must-have | Limits the data to the markets in scope and aligns it with GA4 and sales data. |
| query | Must-have | Required to classify organic search into brand and generic. |
| site | Must-have | Identifies the Search Console property when more than one site is connected. |
| search type | Must-have | Fixed to Web. Image, Video and News search are not used by default. |
Metrics
| Field | Importance | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| clicks | Must-have | Organic visits from search. Used together with GA4 data to value brand and generic SEO. |
| impressions | Must-have | How often the site appeared in search results. Reflects search demand. |
| position | Important | Average ranking. Helps interpret changes in clicks and impressions. |
| ctr | Optional | Can be calculated from clicks and impressions. |
How Sellforte receives the data
Sellforte can receive Search Console data in two ways. The recommended option is the Sellforte connector. If the connector cannot be used, the data can be delivered through customer-managed delivery.
Sellforte connector
When you connect Google Search Console in Sellforte, the connector automatically fetches the dimensions and metrics listed above for the sites you select. The first sync fetches all history that Search Console makes available, after which data is updated daily. The setup steps are in the Google Search Console connector article.
Customer-managed delivery
If you deliver the data yourself, include the fields in the Dimensions and Metrics tables, with one row per date, country, query and search type, as in the sample above.
To extract the data, use the search analytics query in the Search Console API for each property in scope. Request the Web search type, group the results by date, country and query, and keep clicks, impressions and position. Add the property as the site column and Web as the search type column. The API returns a limited number of rows per request, so page through the results until no more rows are returned.
In both cases, avoid including overlapping properties for the same traffic, such as a domain property and a URL prefix property inside it. Otherwise the same clicks are counted twice.
Interpretation notes
Counting and attribution rules
Search Console leaves out queries that are searched by very few people, to protect their privacy. Because of this, totals summed from query level data are lower than the totals shown in Search Console's own reporting. This is expected and does not need to be corrected.
Search Console reports dates in Pacific Time. No adjustment is needed on your side.
Where it appears in Sellforte
Brand SEO and generic SEO are shown as separate channels in the MMM Dashboard. Brand SEO mainly reflects existing demand for your brand, while generic SEO reflects how well your site captures category searches.