Google Search Console

Connect Linkilo to Google Search Console to pull in real keyword data, indexing status, and URL inspection. Powers smarter AI suggestions and richer reports.

What this is

Connecting GSC lets Linkilo read (READ ONLY — never write) data from your Search Console property. Specifically:

• Top keywords your posts already rank for
• Real keyword data for the AI suggestion engine
• URL Inspection for indexing diagnostics (used by Crawl Log too)
• Impression, click, position data per page

Optional. Most Linkilo features work without GSC — but the AI suggestion engine gets noticeably smarter when it has access to real search-query data.

Connect

1. Go to Linkilo → Settings.
2. In the Settings sidebar, click Google Search Console (under the Integrations group).
3. Click Authenticate Linkilo.
4. A Google sign-in window opens. Sign in with the account that owns your GSC property.
5. Approve the access request. (Linkilo only requests READ access — never write.)
6. You'll be redirected back to Linkilo. You may need to paste an auth code or be redirected automatically.

Configure

After connecting, set:

• Which property to use — if you have multiple sites in GSC, pick the right one.
• Sync frequency — how often to pull data (daily / weekly).
• Impression / position thresholds — minimum thresholds for keywords to be considered "real" rankings.
• GSC keyword limit — how many top keywords to pull per post. 50 is a good default.

From the settings page: "Connect to Google Search Console using the controls below. The connection feeds the focus-keywords and reporting tools no matter what. The AI-specific filters near the bottom (impression thresholds, position cutoff, refresh frequency) only matter if you also use AI Suggestions — non-AI users can leave them at defaults."

Click Save Settings.

Run a sync

Click Sync now to pull the latest data.

First sync can take a few minutes for large sites. After syncing, GSC data appears in:

• Each post's AI Link Suggestions metabox (the Keywords source toggle)
• The Focus Keyword report
• The Anchor Report
• The Keyword Cannibalization report (this report ONLY works with GSC connected)
• The Crawl Log's GSC Inspect buttons

Common Questions

Linkilo says "Connection expired"

Click the Reconnect link or button. Google's OAuth tokens expire every ~7 days; Linkilo refreshes them automatically usually, but if something hiccups you'll need to re-authorize.

Common causes:

• You changed your Google password
• You revoked Linkilo's access from your Google account
• Token cache got corrupted (rare)

Why connect GSC if I already use AI Suggestions?

GSC keyword data is real-world: it shows exactly which queries bring visitors to your posts. The AI uses these queries to find smarter link suggestions — for example, suggesting links between posts that share real search queries even if they don't share obvious keywords.

Optional but makes the AI noticeably smarter.

Can Linkilo modify my GSC settings?

No. Linkilo only READS data. It can't:

• Submit pages for indexing
• Request re-crawl
• Modify any GSC property settings
• Set up sitemaps
• Anything else that would write to GSC

This is intentional — Linkilo is a read-only consumer of your GSC data.

What if I have multiple sites in GSC?

Each Linkilo install connects to ONE GSC property. Pick the right one in the "Which property to use" dropdown.

For multiple WordPress sites all connecting to the same Google account, each site authenticates independently — they don't share tokens. That's normal.

After authorizing, I'm asked to paste an auth code

That's normal. Google sometimes redirects with an auth code you need to copy/paste into Linkilo's connection form. This is more common with:

• Browsers in incognito/private mode
• Some regions with stricter redirect handling
• Older browser versions

Just paste the code Google gave you. The connection completes.

Does this cost money?

No. Google Search Console is free, and Linkilo's read access uses your existing GSC API quota (which is generous — way more than typical WordPress sites need).

What happens to my GSC data if I uninstall Linkilo?

Linkilo's local cache of GSC data is wiped when you uninstall. Your actual GSC data on Google's side is untouched — Linkilo never wrote to it in the first place.

Can I limit which GSC data Linkilo pulls?

Yes — the impression and position thresholds control what's considered a "real" ranking. Set them high to only pull strong-performing keywords, low to pull everything.

Default is impressions ≥ 10 and position ≤ 100. That filters out one-off random queries.

Why is the keyword limit per post important?

GSC can return hundreds of keywords per page. Linkilo only needs the top ones for AI suggestion scoring. Higher limit = more data, slightly slower processing. 50 is the sweet spot.