Google Search Console
Google Search Console (GSC) is the primary data source Rankforce uses to understand your organic search performance. Connecting it is the single highest-leverage step you can take to improve the quality of agent recommendations.Connect GSC to Rankforce
Open the Integrations page
In your Rankforce dashboard, navigate to Integrations → Google Search Console. You’ll see cards for all available integrations. Click Connect on the Google Search Console card.
Authorize with your Google account
Rankforce will redirect you to Google’s OAuth consent screen. Sign in with the Google account that has access to your Search Console property, then click Allow to grant Rankforce read access to your performance data.
Select your Search Console property
After authorizing, Rankforce will display all Search Console properties available to your Google account. Select the property that matches your site — this is typically your domain (
sc-domain:example.com) or the full URL prefix property.What Rankforce pulls from GSC
Rankforce imports the following data from your Search Console property on a daily basis:| Data point | How Rankforce uses it |
|---|---|
| Keyword positions | Identifies which queries your pages rank for and at what average position |
| Impressions | Surfaces pages that appear frequently in search results but aren’t being clicked |
| Click-through rate (CTR) | Flags pages with low CTR relative to their position — a strong signal for title and description rewrites |
| Top pages by clicks | Prioritizes high-traffic pages for deeper optimization analysis |
| Search query breakdown per page | Maps which keywords are driving traffic to each URL so agents can align content accordingly |
How GSC data surfaces in agent recommendations
Rankforce doesn’t just show you a separate analytics dashboard — it weaves GSC data directly into the recommendations agents generate. For example:- A page ranking in position 4–10 for a high-volume keyword will be flagged as a ranking opportunity, and the agent will suggest content expansions or title rewrites aimed at pushing it into the top three.
- A page with high impressions but low CTR will receive a priority recommendation for a meta title and description rewrite, with the agent explicitly noting the impression volume and current CTR to explain why the change is worthwhile.
- Pages with zero impressions for their target keyword are surfaced as indexing or relevance concerns, and the agent will investigate whether the content is thin, unindexed, or missing the keyword entirely.
GSC permissions required
Rankforce requests read-only access to your Search Console data. It does not request permission to submit URLs for indexing, modify your sitemap in Search Console, or alter any Search Console settings. If Google’s consent screen shows any write permissions, do not authorize and contact Rankforce support.Google Analytics (GA4)
While GSC tells you how your site performs in search, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) tells you what happens after users arrive. Connecting GA4 lets Rankforce close the loop between an applied optimization and its real-world traffic impact.Connect GA4 to Rankforce
Open the Integrations page
In your Rankforce dashboard, navigate to Integrations → Google Analytics and click Connect on the Google Analytics card.
Authorize with your Google account
Rankforce will redirect you to Google’s OAuth consent screen. Sign in with the Google account that has access to your GA4 property, then click Allow.
Select your GA4 property
After authorizing, Rankforce will list all GA4 properties available to your account. Select the property that tracks your site. If you have both a Universal Analytics (UA) and a GA4 property listed, select the GA4 property — UA properties are not supported.
Rankforce supports GA4 properties only. Universal Analytics (UA / GA3) properties were sunset by Google in July 2023 and are not supported. If you haven’t migrated to GA4 yet, you’ll need to do so before connecting to Rankforce.
What Rankforce pulls from GA4
| Data point | How Rankforce uses it |
|---|---|
| Sessions per page | Establishes a traffic baseline for each URL before optimizations are applied |
| Engaged sessions | Measures content quality beyond raw clicks — low engagement signals potential content issues |
| Bounce rate | Flags pages where users arrive and leave immediately, indicating a mismatch between search intent and content |
| Page views over time | Tracks traffic trends so agents can detect whether a post is growing, declining, or flat |
| Traffic by channel | Isolates organic search traffic to separate the impact of SEO changes from paid or social traffic spikes |
How GA4 data is used to measure optimization impact
When an optimization is applied and verified on your site, Rankforce starts a measurement window using GA4 data. The platform compares traffic and engagement metrics from the 28 days before the change against the 28 days after, surfacing the delta directly in the recommendation’s result card in your dashboard. For example, if an agent rewrote the meta title and description on a product page, you’ll see a card in your dashboard showing:- +18% organic sessions in the 28 days post-optimization vs. the 28 days prior
- CTR improved from 2.1% → 3.4% (from GSC data)
- Bounce rate decreased from 74% → 61% (from GA4 data)
Impact measurement requires both GSC and GA4 to be connected. With only one source connected, Rankforce can still generate recommendations but can only show partial before/after metrics.
Sitemap discovery
Rankforce automatically discovers your sitemap when you add a site to your dashboard. It checks the standard sitemap locations (/sitemap.xml, /sitemap_index.xml, and the Sitemap: directive in your robots.txt) and uses whichever it finds.
If your sitemap is at a non-standard path, you can enter it manually:
- Go to Rankforce Dashboard → Sites → [Your Site] → Settings.
- Scroll to the Sitemap section and enter the full URL to your sitemap (e.g.,
https://example.com/custom-sitemap.xml). - Click Save. Rankforce will validate the URL and schedule an immediate re-crawl using the new sitemap.
Revoking access
You can disconnect any analytics integration at any time without affecting your Rankforce account or site configurations. To revoke from Rankforce:- Navigate to Integrations in your Rankforce dashboard.
- Click the three-dot menu on the integration you want to remove.
- Select Disconnect. Rankforce will immediately stop syncing data from that source.
- Visit myaccount.google.com/permissions.
- Find Rankforce in the list of connected apps.
- Click Remove Access.