Ask Claude about your search data

The Performance report shows the last three months when you open it. Downloading it gives Claude the same rows you see.

It helps to know what you'll be sharing. The download holds the words people searched, the addresses of your pages, and counts of clicks and impressions. It has no visitor names or emails. Google already leaves out searches that very few people made. Still, a search can now and then hold a person's name or a street address, so check before you attach it.

1. Open Search Console, pick your site, and click Performance in the menu on the left.
2. Leave the date range at the last three months.
3. Click Export near the top right of the report, then Download CSV. Google saves a zip file. Safari usually opens it into a folder; if not, double-click it in Downloads. On Windows, open Downloads in File Explorer, right-click the zip file, choose Extract All, then click Extract.
4. Open Queries.csv. If any row holds a person's name or a street address, delete it, then in Numbers choose File > Export To > CSV and save over the old file. On Windows, it opens in Excel: right-click the row number on the left and choose Delete, then choose File > Save As, pick CSV UTF-8 (Comma delimited) from the file type list, keep the name Queries, click Save, and click Yes to replace the old file.

The download holds up to 1,000 rows, which is plenty for most small business sites.

impressions How many times your site showed up in Google's search results, whether or not anyone clicked. All words×CSV A plain spreadsheet file with commas between the columns. Most sales, booking and job systems can download one. All words×file One document on your computer, like a letter or a photo. Files live inside folders. All words×folder A place on your computer that holds files and other folders, like a drawer in a filing cabinet. All words×search query The words someone typed into Google. Search Console calls them queries. All words×

This prompt sets the rules on numbers before Claude reads anything, then has it tell you what the files cover, so you know it read them right.

1. Open the Claude app or claude.ai and start a new chat.
2. Click the + button in the lower-left corner of the message box, then Add files or photos, and pick the queries file, the pages file and the daily file (its name starts Dates or Chart).
3. Copy the prompt below.

I've attached my Google Search Console data for the last three months. You'll help me find quick wins for my small business website in this chat. The rules: use only the numbers in these files. Don't estimate, round up or invent any number, forecast or ranking. When you give a number, say which file it came from. If the data is too thin to say anything useful, tell me. First, tell me in plain words what the files cover: the first and last date in the daily file, how many searches and pages are listed, and the total clicks and impressions from the daily file. If a file doesn't show something, say so. My business: [what you do and where]

4. Paste it into the chat. Replace the part in square brackets with what you do and where, like a dog groomer in Springfield or a bookkeeper for small firms.
5. Send it.
6. Check the dates and totals against Search Console. The searches and pages lists add up to a little less, because Google leaves out rare searches.

prompt What you type to Claude. A good one says what you want, how to work and what never to do. All words×Claude app Claude on your phone or computer, where you chat with it by typing. claude.ai is the same thing in a web browser. All words×

Google's first page often shows about ten ordinary results, though ads, maps and other boxes change the count. So an average position of about 8 to 10 roughly means the bottom of page one, and 11 to 20 roughly page two, where fewer people look. Average position is an average over every search that showed you, so a 12 can mean you were sometimes 6 and sometimes 18. Treat it as a rough guide, not your exact spot.

1. Copy the prompt below.

In the queries file, find searches where my average position is between about 8 and 20, so I'm roughly near the bottom of page one or on page two. Sort them by impressions, highest first, and show up to 10, with the search, impressions, clicks and average position from the file. For each one, suggest one change to my site that would answer that search better, like a heading, a paragraph or a FAQ answer. If you can't tell from the files which page matches a search, say so. Don't promise that any change will move me up.

2. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
3. Check the changes that fit your business, and cross out any that don't.

average position Where your site's top link sat in Google's results, averaged over every search that showed it. Position 1 is the top. All words×

When a page shows up in the results but few people click it, the title and short description under it often don't say enough. A plumber's page titled Services says less than Drain cleaning in Springfield, same-day visits. This prompt finds those pages and drafts clearer words.

1. Copy the prompt below.

Now look at the pages file. Find pages with more impressions than most of my other pages, but a lower click-through rate than most of my other pages. Show up to 10, with the page address, impressions, clicks and click-through rate from the file. For each one, suggest a clearer page title and a short description that says plainly what the page offers and where. Use only facts I've told you or pasted. Write FILL IN for anything else, like a price, an area or an opening time. Leave out pages whose average position is worse than 20.

2. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
3. Fill in every FILL IN, and check each title says only what's true.
4. Change the title and description in your site builder's settings for that page, or send them to whoever looks after your site. Google sometimes shows its own wording instead of yours.

People type questions into Google: how much does a gutter clean cost, is the bakery open Sunday, do you do weekend appointments. If a search like that shows your site, your site should answer it. This prompt finds those questions.

1. Copy the prompt below.

Look at the queries file for searches that are questions, or that read like a question a customer would ask, like ones with how, what, when, cost, price, near me or open. List up to 10, with impressions from the file. For each one, say whether my site seems to answer it already, based only on what I've told you or pasted. If you can't tell, say so. Don't write the answers yet.

2. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
3. Add the questions your site doesn't answer yet to your FAQ list.

The lesson "Write the answers AI wants to quote" shows how to answer them: a plain answer in the first sentence, with FILL IN for anything only you know.

AI Short for artificial intelligence. Here it means a program like Claude that reads what you write and writes back in plain words. All words×

This prompt saves what you found as one list you can work through, a change at a time.

1. Copy the prompt below.

Put what we found on one page I can save, called Search wins, with FILL IN for today's date. Include the summary of what the data covers, the searches where I'm nearly on page one with their suggested changes, the pages people see but don't click with their new titles and descriptions, and the questions for my FAQ. At the top, write these rules: The numbers come from my Search Console download. Claude doesn't guess numbers. I check every fact before it goes on my site. One change at a time, with the date written next to it.

2. Paste it into the same chat and send it.
3. Copy the page into a note or a document called Search wins.

Do one change at a time and write the date next to it, so next month you can see what moved. The lesson "Check again in 90 days" sets up a date to measure against.