Google Search Console Fails To Report Half Of All Search Queries

New research reveals a major limitation in one of SEO's most used tools: Google Search Console fails to report half of all search queries, especially conversational ones. This data gap leaves marketers and SEO professionals with an incomplete picture of how users discover their content through organic search.

What’s Happening with Google Search Console?

According to a study by Tomasz Rudzki, co-founder of ZipTie, around 50% of real search queries that bring users to a website never show up in Google Search Console (GSC). These missing queries are mostly natural language or conversational searches — the kind people make when using voice assistants or AI tools.

Real Tests Show the Data Gap

Rudzki conducted a simple experiment. He repeatedly searched a specific conversational query using various devices and Google accounts. Though these searches clearly brought traffic to his website (as seen through other analytics tools), GSC reported nothing — zero queries.

To verify his findings, he asked 10 other SEO professionals to do the same. All reported similar results. Despite real user visits, GSC failed to log the search queries that triggered them.

Why Does This Matter?

Incomplete Data = Incomplete Strategy

When Google Search Console fails to report half of all search queries, SEO professionals can’t see what real users are asking. This causes:

• Content teams to optimize for visible keywords only, missing out on real user intent.

• Marketers to misjudge underperforming content, which may actually be driving traffic.

• Missed emerging trends, because new queries aren't shown until they hit high volumes.

Key Insight: Many of these missing queries are low-volume but high-intent. For example:

• “What are the pros and cons of iPhone 16?”

• “Should I buy the new iPhone or stick with Samsung?”

• “Compare iPhone 16 with Samsung S25”

Each may get just 10–15 searches/month, but collectively they represent hundreds of potential buyers — yet GSC may show none of them.

How Google Handles AI Answers — But Hides the Queries

Here’s the paradox: Google understands conversational queries well enough to show AI-generated answers (AI Overviews) in search results.

In fact, Rudzki’s study of 140,000 conversational queries found that 80% triggered AI Overviews.

Yet, when it comes to reporting these same queries in GSC, Google falls silent.

Possible Explanation: Minimum Threshold

Jakub Łanda, a colleague of Rudzki, believes GSC uses a search volume threshold before reporting a query. That means unless a term hits a certain number of monthly searches, it doesn’t appear at all — even if it’s driving traffic.

Worse, once it becomes trackable, GSC doesn’t show past data, making it harder to spot trends early.

What You Can Do as an SEO Professional

Switch From Query Tab to Pages Tab

Use the Pages report in GSC to identify high-performing content. Even if the queries are missing, you’ll still know what content is working.

Optimize for Topics, Not Just Keywords

Focus on comprehensive, question-driven content. Address entire user journeys instead of targeting narrow keywords.

Supplement GSC With Other Tools

Use:

• Google Analytics

• Third-party SEO tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs

• AI models and People Also Ask data

• Your own site’s internal search analytics

Think Like Your User

Ask yourself: "How would someone ask this to ChatGPT or Google Assistant?" That’s how you should frame your content.

The Future of Search and SEO

The way users search is evolving rapidly. Voice search and AI-assisted queries are becoming the norm.

Roughly 20% of global users regularly use voice search.

Yet, tools like GSC are still catching up, leaving SEO experts in the dark. This gap between search behavior and SEO analytics is only growing — and it’s up to marketers to adapt.

Conclusion

Google Search Console fails to report half of all search queries, especially the ones that matter most in 2025 — the natural, conversational questions real users ask.

Until Google improves visibility into these queries, SEO success will depend on using multi-source insights and focusing on people-first content that mirrors how users genuinely speak and search.

Read More : AI Overviews & AI Mode