For years, Google Search Console (GSC) answered one question: how does my website perform in Google Search? If your audience found you through an Instagram Reel or a YouTube video, Search Console couldn’t tell you. That gap has now closed. On July 7, 2026, Google announced platform properties, a new property type that lets you add an Instagram, TikTok, X, or YouTube account directly to Search Console. This post covers what the update is, how to connect your profiles, why it matters, and the questions people ask most. What Is the Social Media Update in Search Console? The new feature is called Platform Properties. It is a property type built for supported social and video platforms, and it shows which posts appear in Google Search, which queries drive visibility, and how each piece of content performs over time. Until now you could only add website domains or URL prefixes. Now you can verify a social account the same way and get search analytics for the content you publish there. Supported platforms at launch: Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, and Reddit are not supported at launch, though Google’s framing suggests the list may grow. How This Differs From Earlier Experiments This isn’t the first time Google has tested social data in Search Console. In December 2025, Google ran a limited “social channels” feature that auto-detected social accounts and pulled basic data into a website’s Insights report. The July 2026 update is a full property type with its own reports, and it covers Google Search, Discover, and Google News, not just Search. It is also separate from Search profiles. A Search profile is a shareable page that consolidates a creator’s content for followers, while a platform property focuses on analytics, showing how those posts perform in Search. How to Add Your Social Media Profiles to Search Console Tips Before You Start What Data Will You See? A platform property works like a standard Search Console property, but it is tailored to social and video content. You can expect to find: Together these show which topics, formats, and keywords make your social content discoverable through Google, not just inside the app. Key Benefits of Adding Social Profiles 1. A more complete view of brand visibility Your audience doesn’t only find you through your website. A Reel might rank for a query while your blog post doesn’t. Seeing both in one place shows how your brand appears across Google. 2. Keyword insights for social content Social teams often pick captions and hashtags by instinct. Search Console shows the actual queries people typed before landing on your post, which gives you data to write better titles, captions, and descriptions. 3. Smarter content strategy One early analysis noted that if certain queries perform better on social than on-site, content priorities can shift accordingly. You might learn that a topic works better as a short video than as an article, or the other way round. 4. A win for creators without websites The feature is available even to creators who don’t have their own websites. Small creators and influencers can get professional search analytics without building a site first. 5. Proof of performance for partnerships Impressions and clicks from Google Search are concrete numbers to show sponsors and brand partners. One creator who connected an Instagram account reported 245,000 impressions and 1,100 clicks in under three weeks. Results like that are one person’s experience and won’t be typical for everyone. 6. Better attribution Marketers have long struggled to connect search behavior with social discovery. Platform properties help show where people first met your brand. Manage Your Expectations This update is useful, but it isn’t magic: How to Get the Most Out of the Data Frequently Asked Questions Do I need a website to use this feature?No. Platform properties work even if you don’t own a website, so creators can connect their social accounts on their own. Which social platforms can I add?Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube. Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, and Reddit aren’t supported at launch. Is it free?Google Search Console is a free tool, and I haven’t seen any charge for platform properties. Can I add more than one account?Yes. You add each account as its own property, so a brand can connect several channels. Will connecting my profile improve my rankings?Not directly. The feature is about reporting and analytics, not a ranking boost. Better insights can help you improve your content, and that may improve performance over time. How long until data appears?It varies. Some creators report seeing impressions within a day, while others need a little longer, depending on how much of your content Google surfaces. I can’t see the “Add property” option for social platforms. What should I do?Confirm you’re signed in to the right Google account, refresh, and try again later. Google described the rollout as gradual, so availability may differ between accounts. What’s the difference between a platform property and a Search profile?A Search profile is a public page that gathers a creator’s content for followers. A platform property is a private analytics view for you or your team. Is my private content exposed?No. Only publicly available content is tracked. Does it include Google Discover data?Yes. Reports cover Search, Discover, and Google News where your content appears. Final Thoughts Search Console now recognizes that discovery doesn’t stop at your website. By adding your Instagram, TikTok, X, or YouTube profiles, you get a clearer view of how your content appears in Google, which queries bring people in, and where to focus next. The setup takes only a few minutes: open Search Console, choose Add property, pick your platform, and authorize the connection. Even if the results start small, that data will help you make better content decisions.