From May 2026, ASP sets up and verifies Google Search Console on every client website as standard.
It is a free service from Google that shows how people find your event through Google Search. Most event websites do not have it. That matters, because it only starts collecting data from the day it is set up, so if it is never created, the history simply does not exist when you want it.
In short
- It is free, and there is nothing for you to buy or install.
- It shows how people found your event, which Google Analytics cannot tell you.
- Your nominated Google account is added as an Owner during setup.
- ASP does not own your Google Search data.
- If access ever changed, you can prove to Google that you control the website and get straight back in.
What it shows you
- What people searched for before arriving on your website.
- Which pages appear in Google, how often, and how many people click.
- Which speakers, sessions and topics are attracting search interest.
- Whether your important pages are being found by Google at all.
- How all of this changes across event cycles and editions.
A common finding is that nearly all of an event's Google traffic comes from people searching the event by name. That means the brand is working, and it points to a much bigger opportunity, because people searching the wider topics your event covers are not finding you yet.
How it differs from Google Analytics
Google Analytics tells you what people do once they arrive. Google Search Console tells you how and why they found you through Google Search.
They also work differently. GA4 needs a tracking tag on the website, and access depends on who manages that property. Search Console needs no tag, because Google generates the data itself. A property has to be created before reporting starts building, and verification proves that someone is authorised to view it.
Who has access
You: Owner. ASP: Owner.
ASP completes the initial verification because we are doing the setup, then adds your nominated Google account as an Owner. Both parties then have full access. Owner access lets us manage verification, permissions and settings on your behalf without coming back to you each time.
Common questions
Q. Does this mean ASP owns our search data?
No.
Search Console is not an account one organisation creates and controls. The underlying information is Google's record of how your website performs in search, and verification does not transfer that to anyone. It gives an authorised person a window into it.
Removing anyone's access does not delete any data. Because you control the website, you can independently prove ownership to Google at any time and regain access to the property and its full history.
Q. Can ASP be removed as an Owner?
Yes, on request.
It adds a few steps, because you need to be independently verified before our verification is removed. The order is: we set up and verify, you are added as an Owner, you complete your own verification, we confirm it, our verification and Owner access are removed, and you add ASP back as a Full User if you would like us to keep reporting.
Q. Can ASP just set it up as a Full User instead?
No, and that is a limitation of Google's system rather than an ASP policy.
Whoever verifies a website is automatically made a verified owner. There is no option to verify and choose Full User access. If you want us on Full User only, we follow the steps above and step back once you are verified.
Q. Does it cost anything?
No.
There is no subscription or licence fee, and no extra tracking code is needed.
Q. Is it still relevant now people use AI tools?
Yes. Google still handles roughly 90% of searches worldwide.
AI assistants generally tell you nothing about the questions people asked before finding you, whereas Search Console does. Google Search is also becoming AI driven itself, and Search Console now reports on Google's AI search experiences, including AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Q. What do we need to do?
Very little.
We set up and verify Search Console, and ask you for the Google account you would like added as an Owner. If you would prefer a different access arrangement, tell your Account Manager and we will set it up that way.
Any questions about Search Console, access or permissions, please contact your ASP Account Manager.
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