Tracking Clicks Download
Video Guide
Prerequisites & Access
To make the most out of this guide, you’ll need the below:
- Google Search Console access to your property (owner or full user).
- A Google Sheet where we’ll store the data.
- A free Make.com account.
The Thought Process for Tracking
Prefer leading indicators over vanity metrics
Sales are the finish line. Clicks, impressions and CTR are the early warnings. If clicks flatten while impressions rise, your titles or meta descriptions probably need work. If impressions fall across the board, you might have a crawl, indexing, or content gap. These signals help you improve the top of the funnel before revenue takes a hit.
Lock your definitions
- Clicks = total GSC web clicks for last calendar month.
- Impressions = total GSC web impressions for last calendar month.
- CTR = clicks ÷ impressions for the same month.
- Average position = the GSC average position for that month.
Benchmark and set thresholds
Decide what good looks like. For a new site, you might aim for +15% clicks per month for the first six months. For a steady site, you might target a 3 month moving average that trends up. Add a simple alert in Make or Sheets when a month lands below your threshold so you act quickly.
Keep it boring
The best tracking is dull and dependable. One automation, one sheet, one chart. When you trust the number, you’ll use the number. And when you use the number, your marketing gets better.
Using Make.com to track clicks
My preferred automation tool is make.com it’s fast, visual, and rock-solid once set up. I can see each step, log errors, and tweak without touching code. Perfect for a tidy monthly workflow.
Step 1 – Create a new Scenario & schedule it
- Create a Scenario with three core modules: Tools → Set multiple variables, Google Search Console → Run a report, Google Sheets → Add a row.
- Click the clock icon and schedule it for the 1st of every month at 00:10 (your timezone). That gives GSC time to finalise last month’s data.
Step 2 – Calculate last month’s dates
In Set multiple variables, add:
start_date = {{ formatDate(beginningOfMonth(addMonths(now; -1)); "YYYY-MM-DD") }}end_date = {{ formatDate(endOfMonth(addMonths(now; -1)); "YYYY-MM-DD") }}month_label = {{ formatDate(addMonths(now; -1); "YYYY-MM") }}
Step 3 – Pull the monthly totals from GSC
- Add Google Search Console → Run a report and pick your property.
- Date range:
{{start_date}}to{{end_date}}. - Dimensions: leave blank for a single aggregated row.
- Search type: Web (change if you mainly target Image/Video).
This returns one bundle with clicks, impressions, ctr and position for the month. No extra aggregation needed.
Optional: daily to monthly
If you prefer daily rows, set the Dimension to date, then add Tools → Numeric aggregator to sum clicks and impressions. Compute CTR as {{ round( divide( clicks_sum; impressions_sum ); 4) }}. For position, use an impressions-weighted average if you want accuracy.
Step 4 – Write a single tidy row to Google Sheets
Add Google Sheets → Add a row and map:
- Month →
{{month_label}} - Clicks →
{{1.clicks}}
You could also add the below metrics:
- Impressions →
{{1.impressions}} - CTR →
{{ round(1.ctr; 4) }}(or calculate in-sheet) - Avg Position →
{{ round(1.position; 2) }}
That’s the whole flow: schedule → fetch → write one clean row. Minimal noise, maximum clarity, and a chart you’ll actually use in monthly reviews.
Other Metrics To Add To Your Dashboard
Awareness – are we earning attention?
- Net new followers (Instagram, X, LinkedIn, YouTube) – track the monthly change, not the vanity total.
- Brand searches – monthly search volume for your brand name via Google Trends.
- Reach & impressions – per channel to see what actually gets seen.
- Content shipped – posts, videos, articles published this month. Output drives outcomes.
Engagement – is the right audience leaning in?
- Click through rate by channel – email, social, ads. Rising CTR means your creative and hooks are working.
- GA4 engaged sessions – cleaner than bounce rate and comparable month to month.
- Average engagement time – are visitors sticking around?
- Email list growth – net subscribers this month, plus open rate and click rate.
- YouTube – views, watch time, and thumbnail CTR for new videos.
Consideration – are strangers becoming contacts?
- New CRM contacts – total created this month.
- MQLs – contacts who meet your “marketing qualified” rules.
- SQLs or Sales-ready – qualified by a human or by rules you trust.
- Lead source mix – organic, paid, referral, social, direct. Healthy pipelines aren’t one-channel.
- Cost per lead – for paid efforts only. Keeps budgets honest.
Conversion – are contacts turning into customers?
- Enquiry to sale rate – percent of enquiries that become customers.
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC) – ad spend + sales costs divided by customers won.
- Average order value – useful for spotting pricing or bundle wins.
- Revenue by channel – organic, paid, email, affiliates. Protect what performs.
- ROAS – return on ad spend for each campaign group.
Retention & advocacy – does the love last?
- Repeat purchase rate – returning customers as a percent of total.
- Churn or lapse rate – customers who didn’t return within your normal cycle.
- NPS – Net Promoter Score from quick post-purchase surveys.
- Reviews – new review count and average rating (Google, Trustpilot, etc.).
- Email reactivation – lapsed subscribers who became engaged again.
Site & SEO health – is the engine smooth?
- Core Web Vitals pass rate – percent of URLs passing in Search Console.
- Index coverage – valid pages vs errors and warnings.
- Priority keyword rankings – a short list only, tracked monthly.
- Link growth – new referring domains this month.
- Uptime & page speed – quick check from an external monitor.
How to wire this in quickly
- GA4 – engaged sessions, engagement time, conversions.
- Search Console – clicks, impressions, CWV, indexing.
- Email platform – net subscribers, open and click rates.
- CRM – new contacts, MQLs, SQLs, deals won.
- Ad platforms – spend, CPL, ROAS by campaign group.
- Reviews & uptime tools – monthly counts and alerts.
The starter bundle I recommend
If you want a clean first pass, add these five to your sheet alongside clicks: Net new followers, Net new CRM contacts, Email list growth, Enquiry to sale rate, ROAS. That gives you a top-to-bottom view without drowning you in noise.
Small rule that keeps dashboards useful
Track the net change per month and write a one-line note on anything you shipped. When the line moves, you’ll know why – and what to do next.
