Search Console is optional in Notch Content Intelligence. The local site audit, keyword import, clustering and internal-link analysis work without it. Connect Google only when you want real query and page performance data to sit beside the content signals already found in WordPress.
What the connection does
NCI uses the read-only Search Console scope https://www.googleapis.com/auth/webmasters.readonly. After authorization, it can discover Search Console properties you can access and sync query-plus-page Search Analytics data. The current release supports 28, 90, 180 and 365-day ranges and stores the imported metrics locally in WordPress for analysis.
The integration connects directly to Google. There is no TopNotch cloud proxy in the 0.4.x release.
Before you begin
You need administrator access to the WordPress site, access to an appropriate Google Cloud project, and permission to the Search Console property you want to analyze. Your WordPress site should use HTTPS.
Google’s current OAuth guidance requires production web apps to use secure redirect URIs. Google also expects a public home page and privacy policy on a verified domain for apps that go through production verification. If you are configuring NCI only for your own WordPress installation, your Google project may have a simpler testing setup, but Google’s consent-screen and verification requirements can change according to the users and scopes involved.
1. Create or select a Google Cloud project
Open Google Cloud Console and create a project for the integration, or choose an existing project that you control. For a business-critical installation, keeping production credentials separate from experiments makes troubleshooting and credential rotation easier.
2. Enable the Search Console API
In the Google Cloud project, enable the Search Console API. NCI cannot retrieve Search Analytics data until the project is allowed to use that API.
Google maintains the Search Console API documentation for developers who want to understand the API itself.
3. Configure Google Auth Platform / OAuth
Set up the OAuth consent information for the project. Use accurate application and contact details. If Google asks for an application home page or privacy policy, use pages on the domain you actually control rather than temporary or unrelated URLs.
For production OAuth clients, Google’s OAuth policy compliance guidance explains its expectations for secure redirects, owned domains and user-facing application information.
4. Create a Web application OAuth client
Create an OAuth 2.0 Client ID with the application type Web application. Do not guess the callback URL.
Open NCI’s Search Console tab in WordPress and copy the Redirect URI shown by the plugin. Paste that exact URI into Google’s Authorized redirect URIs for the web client. Scheme, host, path, trailing slash and other URI details must match. An OAuth redirect mismatch is one of the most common setup failures.
Google’s OAuth documentation states that authorized redirect URIs must match the configured redirect. If Google reports redirect_uri_mismatch, compare the URI shown inside NCI with the URI saved in the Google client character for character.
5. Save the Client ID and Client Secret in NCI
Google will provide a Client ID and Client Secret. Enter both in the Search Console settings in NCI and save them. These credentials are stored in your WordPress installation.
Do not place the Client Secret in a public page, screenshot, forum post or support ticket. If you believe it has been exposed, rotate the credential in Google Cloud and update NCI.
6. Connect your Google account
Use NCI’s Connect action and complete Google’s authorization flow. Sign in with an account that can access the Search Console property you need. The requested permission is read-only; NCI is not asking for permission to edit Search Console settings or your website.
If your OAuth app is still in a testing state, Google may restrict authorization to configured test users or apply other testing limits. Check the current project status in Google Auth Platform rather than repeatedly changing NCI settings.
7. Select the correct Search Console property
NCI can work with URL-prefix properties and domain properties such as sc-domain:example.com. Choose the property that actually represents the site you are auditing. A property for a different protocol, subdomain or site version can make the imported data look incomplete even when the connection itself is working.
8. Sync a useful date range
Choose 28, 90, 180 or 365 days. NCI requests query-plus-page rows and stores clicks, impressions, CTR and average position locally. The current implementation uses yesterday as the end date so it is not depending on incomplete same-day reporting.
Start with 90 days for a balanced view unless seasonality or a recent site change gives you a reason to use another range. A longer period can reveal established topic ownership, while a shorter period can make recent changes easier to see.
How to interpret multi-page query data
If the same query appears for more than one URL, NCI may surface that as a review signal. Do not treat it as automatic proof of keyword cannibalization. Google can legitimately show different pages for the same query depending on intent, context and page relevance. Compare the URLs, impressions, clicks, positions and actual content before deciding whether anything needs to be merged or reframed.
Disconnecting Search Console
Disconnect removes the active access token, refresh token, selected property and recent sync settings from the integration. In the current release, the saved Client ID and Client Secret remain in WordPress so you can reconnect without rebuilding the Google client. If you want those credentials gone too, remove them from the NCI settings or use the plugin’s uninstall-data option when appropriate.
For a fuller explanation of stored data, see Privacy & Data Handling. If authorization fails, use FAQ & Troubleshooting. Return to the NCI Documentation hub.