- Free, no sign-up
- Your data stays in your browser
- Google update dates built in
Free Search Console Compare Tool
Search Console's Compare tab shows two periods side by side, but only 1,000 rows, one dimension at a time, unsorted by change. Drop your exports here (the Performance export for each period, a Compare-mode export, or a bigger file from the API, Data Studio or BigQuery) and see every page and query ranked by what it gained or lost, the folders that moved, the pages that dropped out, and Google's update dates on the same timeline. It runs in your browser, so your data never leaves it. No sign-up.
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How to use it
Two exports in, the answer out
Export each period
In Search Console, open Performance > Search results, set a custom date, then Export > Download CSV. Do it for the week before and the week after, or set Compare and export once. Checking an update? Pick it and the tool tells you which weeks to export.
Drop both files
The zip, an Excel export, or a CSV from the API, Data Studio or BigQuery. The files are read in your browser: nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored.
Read the story
What changed in plain words, the daily timeline with Google's updates, the folders that moved, the pages and queries that lost and gained the most, what dropped out, and whether the comparison is fair. Download it all as CSV.
Built forTraffic dropsCore update checksContent refreshesMonthly reports
Quick answer
How do you compare two periods in Search Console?
Export the Performance report for each period (Export > Download CSV), or use the date picker's Compare tab and export once. Rank pages and queries by the change in clicks, then read impressions, CTR and position beside it: fewer impressions means you show less often, the same impressions with fewer clicks means lower positions or CTR. Compare periods of the same length and the same weekdays. After a Google update, wait at least a full week after it finishes, then compare that week with a week before it started.
Picking the periods
A fair comparison
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Same length, whole weeks | Most sites get fewer searches at the weekend. Seven days against seven, Monday to Sunday against Monday to Sunday, keeps that out of the answer. |
| A full week after an update ends | Google's guidance for core updates: wait at least a week after the rollout finishes, then compare with a period before it started. Data from mid-rollout is still moving. |
| Same site, same search type | A www and a non-www property, or Web against Image, are different data sets. The tool reads the files and warns you. |
| Season | Festive weeks, exams and holidays move demand. Compare the same weeks last year before blaming an update. |
| The 1,000-row cut | The interface exports at most 1,000 pages and 1,000 queries. Smaller rows are missing, so a "dropped out" page may only be below the cut. The API, Data Studio and BigQuery give the rest, and the tool reads them too. |
Reading the change
What the numbers say
| You see | It usually means |
|---|---|
| Clicks and impressions both fall | Your pages show for fewer searches: lost rankings, pages dropped from the index, or lower demand. |
| Clicks fall, impressions hold | You still show, but lower or less clicked: positions slipped, or an AI answer, a new result type or a better title above you takes the clicks. |
| One folder carries the loss | A template or a type of content, not the whole site: start there. |
| Pages dropped out | Check each still opens with a 200, is indexed, and was not redirected or merged by mistake. |
| Everything fell a little | Often demand or season, sometimes a site-wide issue: compare with last year and run an audit. |
Google updates
The dates are built in
The timeline marks Google's core and spam updates from the Search Status Dashboard, with the start and end of each rollout, back to early 2024 (Search Console keeps 16 months). Google says a drop during a core update does not mean something is wrong with your site; it is a re-assessment of how helpful pages are. Read which pages and queries lost, judge them against Google's questions about helpful content, and improve them broadly rather than chasing quick fixes.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Are my exports uploaded?
No. The files are opened and compared in your browser. Nothing is sent to us or stored.
How do I export more than 1,000 rows?
Through the Search Console API, the Looker Studio (Data Studio) connector or the bulk export to BigQuery. Save the result as CSV with a page or query column and Clicks, Impressions, CTR and Position, and drop it here.
Which files does it read?
Search Console's zip of CSVs, its Excel export, a Compare-mode export with both periods, and generic CSVs from the API, Data Studio, BigQuery or Sheets add-ons.
How do I know if a Google update hit my site?
Pick the update in the tool, export the week before it started and a week starting a full week after it ended, and drop both. If the loss sits between the two and follows one folder or one kind of query, the update is the likely reason.
Why compare whole weeks?
Searches rise and fall by weekday, so periods with different weekdays give a false change.
Can I compare year over year?
Yes, within Search Console's 16 months: export the same weeks last year as Before.
Will it connect to my Search Console account?
Not yet. A sign-in with Google is planned once Google approves read-only access; until then, exports keep your data in your hands.
Keep going
More free tools and guides
- Spam, updates and recovery (Advanced, chapter 10): reading a traffic drop and the update timeline.
- Refreshing content (Intermediate, chapter 6): finding pages that lose clicks and fixing them.
- Google Search Console guide: the Performance report and its export.
- Free Website Audit: rule out technical causes.
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What changed, and when?
Two exports in, winners and losers out, Google's updates on the timeline. Free.