For a long time, Google Search Console has largely lived in the world of websites, SEO and Google Search.
That changed in July 2026.
Google has introduced Platform Properties, allowing businesses and creators to connect supported social media accounts directly to Google Search Console and see how their social content is being discovered across Google.
Currently, Platform Properties support:
Instagram • TikTok • YouTube • X
And for anyone working in social media, content or digital visibility, this is a significant development.
Because it gives us something we’ve historically had very little visibility over:
What are people searching on Google before they discover your social content?
Google initially announced Platform Properties on 7 July and confirmed on 29 July that the feature had rolled out globally.
First: what is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console — often shortened to GSC — is a free Google tool that helps you understand how your business is appearing and performing in Google Search.
Historically, we’ve used it primarily to understand website visibility.
For example, Search Console can help show:
- the searches people use before finding your website
- how often your website appears in Google Search
- how many clicks those appearances generate
- which pages are being discovered
- changes in search performance over time
Google describes a property as an individual asset that you can examine or manage within Search Console. Traditionally that has meant a website or domain. Now, it can also mean a supported social account or channel.
And that’s where things get interesting.
What’s changed?
You can now add certain social media accounts as their own properties inside Google Search Console.
That means instead of only looking at:
Google Search → Website
we can begin looking more closely at:
Google Search → Social Content
For example, someone might Google:
“What age should my child have their first eye test?”
and discover an Instagram Reel from an optometrist answering exactly that question.
Or search:
“dry eye treatment Melbourne”
and encounter social content from a local practice.
Previously, the social platform itself could tell us how a Reel performed inside Instagram.
Now Search Console can give us another part of the picture: how that content is being discovered through Google.
Platform Properties can report performance for content appearing across Google Search, Discover and Google News.
What can you actually see?
Once your account is connected, Search Console can provide information including clicks, impressions, queries and the individual social posts generating traffic.
Google’s Insights reporting can also surface recent traffic trends, top-performing content and information about how people are discovering your account.
For us, one of the most interesting pieces is the query data.
Instead of guessing what people might be searching, we can start seeing the language people actually used before discovering content.
That creates a really useful feedback loop:
SEARCH → DISCOVERY → DATA → BETTER CONTENT
If a particular question is repeatedly bringing people to your social content through Google, that’s valuable information.
Maybe it deserves another Reel.
Maybe it becomes a carousel.
Maybe it needs a more detailed page on your website.
Maybe it’s the beginning of an entire educational series.
That’s where this becomes much more than another analytics dashboard.
How do I know if I already have Google Search Console?
This is the part that confuses a lot of business owners.
You may already have Search Console set up and simply never use it.
Your web developer, SEO agency or marketing team may have created it previously.
The easiest first step is to open:
Sign in using the Google account you believe is associated with your business.
Look at the property selector near the top-left of Search Console.
If your website/domain appears there, you already have access to a Search Console property.
If nothing appears, that doesn’t necessarily mean Search Console has never been set up.
It may simply mean your Google account hasn’t been given access.
In that situation, check with whoever manages your:
website • SEO • Google Analytics • digital marketing
A current Search Console owner can grant other people access to an existing property.
What if Search Console hasn’t been set up?
You can create a new website property.
Google supports two main types:
Domain Property — covers the entire domain, including different protocols and subdomains.
URL-prefix Property — covers URLs beginning with the exact address you specify.
Domain Properties generally require DNS verification, while URL-prefix properties support several verification methods.
If terms like DNS verification mean absolutely nothing to you, that’s okay.
This is often something your web developer or whoever manages your domain can help complete.
Google’s own getting-started guide is here:
Getting started with Google Search Console
How to add your social media accounts to Google Search Console
This part is surprisingly straightforward.
Step 1: Open Search Console
Sign into:
Step 2: Open the property selector
Click the property selector and choose:
Add property
You can also access Google’s Search Console verification page.
Step 3: Choose a social platform
Select one of the currently supported platforms:
Instagram
TikTok
YouTube
X
Step 4: Connect your account
Follow Google’s onscreen verification process.
Verification may happen through an existing website property or by logging directly into the relevant social platform, depending on the account and setup. Google requires verification because Search Console exposes private performance information about the property.
Step 5: Let the data build
Once verified, your social account becomes its own Platform Property inside Search Console.
You can then begin reviewing the Performance and Insights reports to understand how Google is discovering and surfacing that content.
Google’s official setup information is here:
Add a website or Platform Property to Search Console
Google giving businesses direct visibility into how social content is performing within Search is another strong indication of how interconnected these environments are becoming.
For us at Flabbergast, that’s where things get particularly interesting.
Because social content isn’t sitting neatly inside social media anymore.
It’s becoming part of search.
And we’re only at the beginning of understanding what that means.