Google has introduced a new type of property in Google Search Console that allows businesses, publishers and creators to measure how their social media content performs in Google Search and Discover.
Called platform properties, the new feature currently supports Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube. It provides data on search queries, posts, clicks, and impressions that connect Google users with content published on these platforms, offering businesses a clearer view of their broader Social Media SEO performance.
Google announced the feature on July 7, 2026, following an earlier experiment that displayed selected social channel data inside Search Console Insights. Unlike the initial experiment, platform properties can now be added as separate properties in Search Console. They are also available to creators who do not operate their own websites.
This is not a Google algorithm update and does not change how social media posts are ranked. It is a reporting update that provides more visibility into how content hosted outside a traditional website is discovered through Google.
What Are Platform Properties in Google Search Console?
Until now, Search Console was primarily used to monitor websites and analyse their performance in Google Search. Businesses could see which pages appeared in search results, the queries that generated visibility, and the number of impressions and clicks their websites received.
Platform properties expand this reporting model to selected social and video platforms.
Once a supported account has been connected, Search Console treats the social profile as a separate property. Businesses and creators can then analyse how individual posts, videos and profile pages perform when they appear in Google Search or Discover.
The feature currently supports:
- TikTok
- X
- YouTube
Each social account must be added and verified separately.
What Data Is Available for Social Media Accounts?
Platform properties include several reports that will already be familiar to Search Console users.
Performance Report
The Performance report displays the total number of clicks and impressions generated by content from the connected social account.
Users can filter and sort the data to identify:
- The posts receiving the most clicks
- The posts generating the most Google impressions
- The search queries leading users to the content
- Changes in performance over time
- Content that is gaining or losing visibility
The data can also be exported for further analysis in another reporting platform. The exported information can be correlated with data from other SEO tools to create a more complete view of organic performance.
Insights Report
The Insights report provides a simplified overview of recent performance.
It highlights traffic trends, top-performing posts, and how users discover the connected account through Google. This makes the report particularly useful for marketing teams that need a rapid overview without analysing every Search Console metric individually.
Achievements
Search Console also displays performance milestones, such as reaching a new threshold for total Google clicks over the previous 28 days.
How to Connect a Social Media Account to Search Console
The connection is made directly from Google Search Console.
- Open Google Search Console.
- Open the property selector.
- Select Add property.
- Choose Instagram, TikTok, X or YouTube.
- Follow the verification and authorisation steps displayed by Google.
The user connecting the account must be able to authenticate through the selected social platform. There is no requirement to modify the website, add a DNS record or upload a verification file.
The social profile is added as its own Search Console property rather than as part of an existing domain property.
The Feature Does Not Allow Manual Indexing of Social Posts
Platform properties provide reporting data but do not offer the same indexing controls as website pages.
Businesses cannot submit individual Instagram posts, TikTok videos, X posts or YouTube videos for indexing through Search Console. The URL Inspection tool cannot be used to request indexing for social content controlled by an external platform.
Connecting an account also does not guarantee that every post will appear in Google.
Google will continue to discover, process and select social content according to its existing crawling, indexing and ranking systems. Search Console only reports the visibility that the connected content has already generated.
The connection does not provide a direct ranking advantage and should not be interpreted as a new ranking factor.
Search Console Data Is Different from Native Social Media Analytics
The new reports do not replace Instagram Insights, TikTok Analytics, X Analytics or YouTube Studio.
Native platform analytics measure interactions within the respective social network, including views, watch time, likes, comments, shares, and follower growth.
Search Console measures a different part of the user journey: how people discover social content through Google.
For example, a TikTok video may receive hundreds of thousands of views inside TikTok but generate only a limited number of impressions in Google Search. Another video may have moderate performance inside the app but consistently attract users searching for a specific question on Google.
Both datasets are valuable, but they measure different discovery environments.
Why This Update Matters for SEO
The introduction of platform properties reflects a broader change in search behaviour.
Users no longer discover information exclusively through traditional website pages. Videos, social posts, creator profiles and other formats increasingly appear directly in search results.
For SEO teams, this means that organic visibility can no longer be evaluated only at the website level. A brand may appear in Google through:
- Its website
- Its YouTube videos
- Its Instagram posts
- Its TikTok content
- Its X posts
- Images, videos and Discover recommendations
The new Search Console properties make part of this wider search presence measurable.
Businesses will be able to identify which social posts address real search demand, which topics consistently drive Google visibility, and which platforms drive organic discovery beyond their websites.
How Businesses Can Use the New Reports
The first step is to connect all eligible brand accounts as soon as the platform property option becomes available.
After sufficient data has been collected, businesses should analyse the queries that generate impressions and clicks for each platform.
These queries can reveal:
- Questions users associate with the brand
- Topics that perform well in both social media and search
- Product or service searches generating social visibility
- Informational searches that could support new website content
- Social posts that should be expanded into articles, guides or landing pages
- Existing website topics that could be repurposed into short-form videos
The reports can also help marketing teams coordinate SEO and their broader social media marketing strategy.
Instead of treating website content and social posts as separate campaigns, businesses can develop content clusters across multiple formats. A detailed website guide may be supported by a YouTube video, several short TikTok or Instagram videos and updates published on X.
Search Console can then show which parts of that content ecosystem are being discovered through Google.
Platform Properties Are Rolling Out Gradually
Google is making the new property type available gradually.
Some Search Console users may already see Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube under Add property, while others may not yet have access to them. Google stated that the rollout would continue over the following weeks.
The absence of the option does not indicate a problem with the Search Console account or the social profile. No technical changes are required while waiting for the feature to become available.
A Broader View of Organic Search Performance
Platform properties represent an important expansion of Google Search Console.
Search performance is no longer limited to pages published on a company website. Businesses can now begin measuring how social and video content contributes to their presence in Google Search and Discover.
The feature does not provide new indexing controls or an automatic ranking benefit. Its value comes from the data it makes available.
For SEO and content teams, that data can provide a clearer view of how audiences discover brands across websites, social networks and video platforms—and how those channels can be developed as part of an integrated digital marketing strategy.