On a recent Thursday, I logged into Google Search Console expecting the usual link report, only to discover a significant issue—it had broken. For some, it displayed zero links, while others saw their reported links drop by nearly 90% from the previous week.
Google acknowledged the problem and decided to revert to older data temporarily as they worked on a fix. This means the link data you’re seeing might be weeks old.
Google’s Response: John Mueller of Google mentioned, “Thanks for the heads-up, Barry. We’ll take a look to see if there’s anything unexpected happening (given the long weekends, it might take a bit of time).”
By Saturday, the links seemed to reappear, but as Mueller explained, they had merely switched back to previous data as a temporary measure. “They’re working on resolving the actual issue and in the meantime switched back to the data from the week before.”
Old Data: If you check your link report now, it displays old information. This is crucial to keep in mind if you’re using this data for reports to clients or stakeholders.
The Bug’s Impact: Many folks noticed either zero links or a drastic drop exceeding 85%. Here’s a screenshot highlighting the problem:
OK, this takes the cake. Hahaha. Yeah, something is very off with the links reporting in GSC. pic.twitter.com/KIYmFPm1fX— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) May 21, 2026
Why It Matters: For those relying on this link data for generating reports, the inaccuracy can be problematic. Data pulled on that Thursday might not be reliable.
While Google is addressing the issue, be prepared to work with data that’s temporarily outdated.
Have you ever wondered about the performance of your YouTube videos? With the time and resources invested in creating content, it’s crucial to track its success.
While YouTube Studio offers robust analytics, accessing the data can be tricky, especially for sharing with others. Here’s where Google Data Studio (previously Looker Studio) comes in handy, offering an easier way to analyze and share YouTube data.
With Data Studio, I can seamlessly integrate YouTube data, schedule updates for stakeholders, customize dashboards, and monitor performance without needing direct access to the backend.
Let me guide you on integrating YouTube analytics into a Data Studio report.
Using a template or starting from scratch
Setting up a report in Data Studio offers two paths. Google’s YouTube Analytics template is a quick start, presenting a clean report with foundational metrics. But be prepared to fix some common issues, which I’ll help you navigate. Alternatively, if you’re up for a challenge, creating a report from scratch can deepen your understanding of Data Studio.
This guide covers both options.
If you’re not the YouTube account owner
For those creating a report without owning the YouTube account, you may find the account isn’t showing as a source in Data Studio. Don’t worry; there’s a workaround. First, access YouTube Studio settings, navigate to Permissions, and grant Manager permissions to the email associated with your Data Studio. Then, obtain the Channel ID from the YouTube URL, add a YouTube connector in Data Studio, and paste the Channel ID under Advanced settings to access the account.
Using the Data Studio YouTube Analytics template
Getting started is simple. On the Data Studio home page, click on Templates followed by Template Gallery. Select YouTube Analytics from the dropdown menu. This template comes preloaded with sample data, which you can replace with your own by clicking “Use my own data.”
During setup, you’ll need to authorize your data by choosing the connected Google Account. Your YouTube channels will then be selectable from a dropdown menu. Note: the dropdown controls settings, not the charts. To update the charts, use the Edit and Share button, which allows you to adjust data sources and metrics.
Copying a template into an existing report
While Data Studio doesn’t directly support importing templates into existing reports, copying a page is an option. After setting up a report with the template, you can transfer it by selecting everything, copying, and then pasting into an existing report’s new page. Although the initial imported charts might show errors, you can reassign the correct data sources using the Properties sidebar.
Customizing your report
The YouTube template offers a solid starting point, but Data Studio allows for extensive customization. While some metrics like revenue and specific audience insights aren’t available, there’s plenty to explore. Adding new charts involves expanding the canvas and leveraging a variety of metrics and dimensions to tailor reports to specific needs.
By following these steps, we’ve crafted a report that’s both functional and informative, ready for sharing performance insights. Automating report exports as PDFs ensures easy distribution, facilitating informed decisions for all stakeholders.
As the new year arrives, it’s my job to present an end-of-year (EOY) PPC report that truly reflects our performance.
EOY reports are not merely extended versions of our monthly check-ins. Instead, they cater to a different audience—mainly the leadership team, who need a broader narrative.
Executed well, these reports set the stage for the upcoming strategies, garnering buy-in and positioning me as a strategic ally rather than just a campaign overseer.
Here’s my approach for creating an impactful EOY PPC report that engages leadership and sets us on a successful path for the new year.
1. Understanding My Audience’s Priorities
Launching a new campaign without defined goals and target audiences is unheard of, and the same goes for my EOY report.
This year, my clients include diverse leadership teams—from those new to me wanting concise summary reports, to detail-oriented CEOs desiring a rich narrative.
Instead of a generic template, I tailor each report to fit the unique needs of each audience, avoiding confusion and maximizing satisfaction.
If you’re unsure of your audience, engage your primary contact to better understand the report’s recipients, their focal points, and decision-making goals.
2. Building a Clear Executive Summary
My executive summary’s role is to quickly provide leadership with an understanding of our PPC performance.
It’s the gateway that frames everything that follows, and though taught to write it last, I start with it to shape the report’s flow.
Focusing on Key KPIs
I prioritize metrics vital to my audience—be it revenue, leads, or conversions—ensuring these are front and center in my summary.
Providing Context with Benchmarks
By leveraging year-over-year performance, target achievements, and industry benchmarks, I ensure leadership comprehends our standing without needing to guess.
These benchmarks provide busy executives with an immediate grasp of our performance, priming them for deeper insights and actions to follow.
3. Diving into Performance Details
Here, I delve into the ‘why’ behind our performance, illuminating the strategies and decisions driving key outcomes.
Whether limited to pivotal insights or an in-depth analysis, my focus remains on information supporting the summary and informing our future direction.
Highlighting Best Performers and Resource Allocation
By showcasing top-performing assets and how we distributed efforts, I help leadership see where we’ve excelled and intelligently invested resources.
Reflecting on Tests and Trends
Sharing tests and trends that have shaped our year helps leadership understand the evolution of our strategy and sets the stage for potential opportunities.
4. Considering External Influences
It’s crucial to frame our performance within the wider environment, highlighting external factors that influenced results either positively or negatively.
An Analysis of Digital and Economic Factors
From shifts in digital marketing channels to broader macroeconomic trends, I contextualize performance against external events, explaining both impacts and non-impacts.
5. Planning for What’s Next
Looking ahead, I focus not on pre-determined paths, but on our decision-making framework, assuring leadership of a structured plan for adapting to future changes.
Outlining Next Steps and Innovations
By sharing strategic moves tied to last year’s data, as well as exploratory initiatives and adaptation strategies, I foster confidence and excitement for the year to come.
Finalizing with a Leadership Lens
Before submitting, I ensure all data is clearly sourced, negatives are addressed up front, and all stakeholder queries have been thoroughly answered.
This reflective practice not only strengthens my relationship with stakeholders but also lays the foundation for seamless reporting in the years ahead.
I just discovered that Google Search Console has finally addressed the month-long delay in their page indexing report. It felt like a stroke of relief when I saw the report now displays data as recent as just a few days ago. This is the usual schedule for updates and I’m thrilled to have this crucial tool back on track.
Another piece of good news: emails notifying about indexing issues have resumed, so we site owners can stay informed directly through our inboxes once again.
Page Indexing Report. This indispensable tool helps me understand which pages on my site Google can find and index, along with highlighting any potential problems. It also allows me to submit any fixes and see if they’ve been successfully implemented. Previously, when the report was delayed, we couldn’t verify our fixes or check the indexing status of new and existing pages, which was quite frustrating.
Fixed Issues. Here’s a screenshot of the updated report, showcasing a more current date—December 14th—instead of the long-stagnant November 21st:
Besides, Google has also resolved the delays in performance reports just yesterday! It’s a relief to know that most significant reports are now functioning smoothly, though it’s always wise to stay prepared for potential future hiccups.
Why It Matters to Us. Over the past month, many of us struggled to provide up-to-date reporting to our SEO clients and stakeholders. With the recent fixes, we now have access to the latest data for both page indexing and performance reports.
This means we can get back to speed with our reporting tasks, just in time before the holiday season sets in.
For years, I’ve been fascinated by how PPC advertisers navigate the complexities of Google’s campaigns, especially Performance Max (PMax).
While the automation behind PMax is impressive, the lack of transparency has often been a source of frustration for me and many others.
Thankfully, Google has finally started to address some of these concerns with the introduction of the new Channel Performance report.
This guide is designed to help you understand the report, its benefits, and how you can leverage it effectively.
The Channel Performance report represents a major shift in how we can view and assess campaign performance.
Located under Campaigns > Insights and Reports > Channel Performance (beta), it’s a pre-built network report offering tabular and flow diagram data.
It’s currently exclusive to Performance Max campaigns but could potentially expand to other types in the future, hinting at a broader applicability.
Previously, getting insights into channel performance required tedious manual reports, or at best, third-party tools with limited capabilities.
Now, the Channel Performance report provides a direct, Google-native solution to this problem.
The report has two primary components: an account-level view and a campaign-level view, complete with a data table and a Sankey diagram.
The account-level view offers a new perspective with a convenient table displaying campaign and channel metrics, making it easier to analyze at a glance.
This view allows for sorting by different metrics, which is a handy way to compare and prioritize campaigns.
My favorite feature is the ability to switch segments, offering insights into ‘ads using product data’ versus ‘ads not using product data’, which was a significant challenge in understanding PMax campaigns.
Upon switching to the campaign-level view, you’ll notice a striking Sankey diagram that visualizes user interactions from impressions to conversions.
Though visually impressive, the data table below is more reliable for detailed analysis, showing performance metrics by channel and ad type.
For a deeper dive, I recommend exporting the data and using it in spreadsheets for comprehensive analysis.
However, the report has some drawbacks, like the misleading proportions in the Sankey diagram and lack of ratios in the data table.
Despite this, it offers valuable insights into which channels are genuinely delivering results, enabling you to maximize asset and traffic quality.
Utilizing placement data for quality control and customizing reports through Google Sheets can enhance your strategy.
Google has promised future features like API access, which will expand the report’s utility significantly.
As we continue to explore these insights, the challenge lies in accurately interpreting the data to make informed decisions.
After enduring weeks of delays, I’m relieved to see that the performance reports in Google Search Console are finally back to normal. These reports had been set back by over 50 hours, creating quite the challenge for anyone relying on timely data.
Latest Status: If you access the search performance report now, you’ll notice the data delay is significantly reduced to just 2 to 6 hours, which is fairly typical. Compare this to the over 70-hour delays we experienced recently!
The delays started a few weeks back and it took about three weeks for Google to resolve the issue, clearing the backlog in the process.
Page Indexing Update: Unfortunately, the page indexing report delay we mentioned earlier is still not resolved. It’s frustrating to note that this delay has stretched to nearly a month, with Google acknowledging the issue in a notice:
“Due to internal issues, this report has not been updated to reflect recent data”
Why This Matters: If you depend on Search Console for analytics and reporting to clients, these delays can be incredibly frustrating. While it’s a relief that performance reports are up-to-date, the ongoing delay in the indexing report can still disrupt reporting processes.
Meanwhile, Google has rolled out several exciting new features recently, including:
Imagine being able to simply type what data you want in a report, and, voilà, Google creates it for you on the spot. That’s exactly what’s happening with Google’s new experimental feature in Search Console!
Recently, I learned about Google’s exciting “AI-powered configuration” update within the Search Console Performance report. This experimental feature allows you to request a specific report, and Google will instantly configure it for you. Not everyone can access it just yet, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.
I immediately thought of the AI-powered advisors Google offers for Ads and Analytics. Now, similar technology is being harnessed for Search Console. According to Google, this AI-powered configuration lets you describe the analysis you want in everyday language. Your description is then transformed into appropriate filters and settings, configuring the report instantly!
Curious about how it looks? There’s a GIF demonstration that perfectly showcases how it generates reports based on your questions, making the process seem almost magical.
The cool part is that this feature streamlines your analysis by handling several key elements. First, it automatically selects metrics like Clicks, Impressions, Average CTR, and Average Position based on your query.
It also applies filters to narrow down data by different factors such as query, page, country, device, search appearance, or date range. Additionally, you can set up complex comparisons without having to fiddle with manual setup.
Although the rollout is currently slow, Google plans to expand this feature over time. But, being early days, the feature does have some limitations. It’s solely meant for configuration tasks and doesn’t perform actions like sorting tables or exporting data.
The feature currently only supports the Performance report for Search results and isn’t available for Discover or News reports. Also, since the AI might occasionally misinterpret requests, I recommend reviewing the suggested filters to make sure they align with your needs before diving into data analysis.
Honestly, I’m excited about this tool because it could potentially unveil insights in reports that were otherwise challenging to discover using standard filters. While most of us still need to wait for this feature to be accessible, it’s worth a try once available to explore new data insights.
If you’re looking for more information, head over to the Google help documentation. There’s plenty to learn and get familiar with!
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