Adding social media to Google Search Console

Published 5 July 2026 · Last updated · Reading time: approximately 5 minutes

Google Search Console has a new property type: alongside a website, you can now also add your social media and video channels (Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube) as a separate property. Important to know: this is not a menu item within your existing domain property and it doesn't live under Settings. You add it via the property overview, the same way you add a new site.

The feature is being rolled out in phases. Don't see the option in your account yet? Then it simply hasn't been activated for your Google account yet — that will come in due course, and there's nothing you can configure to speed it up.

What exactly is this feature?

On the Select a property type screen, the familiar Add a website option sits at the top. Below it, under the heading New, the new channels appear:

• Instagram
• TikTok
• X
• YouTube

For each channel you click Add. You're then redirected to the relevant platform to log in and thereby verify ownership of that account. After that, the channel appears as its own property in your list, alongside your website property.

So this isn't a "connection" you switch on for your domain, nor is it a social media management tool: you can't post from it, manage ads, or pull engagement figures out of your platform.

What can you use it for?

The purpose of these properties is to give you insight into how your social and video content performs in Google Search. Think of the visibility of your YouTube videos, Instagram or TikTok content, and X posts in search results, within the same kind of reporting environment you already know from your website.

Exactly which data is available per platform differs and is still changing during the rollout. Google itself is deliberately cautious about this. We're therefore not making any promises about the exact reports or metrics you should expect to see: check your own account to see what's there once the property becomes available.

What it isn't for

To avoid confusion — and because there's a lot of inaccurate information circulating about this online:

• It is not an input screen where you list a set of profile URLs.
• It is not a replacement for sameAs in your schema.org markup.
• It is not a guarantee that your profiles will appear in your knowledge panel or brand SERP. What Google shows there is entirely up to Google.
• It is not a ranking factor and not a way to influence positions.

How do you add a channel?

Step 1 — Open the property overview

Click the dropdown menu with your properties in the top left of Search Console (where your domain currently shows, for example) and choose Add property.

Step 2 — Choose the property type

Does a list with Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube appear under New? Then the feature is active for your account. If not, the rollout hasn't reached your account yet, and there's nothing to configure.

Step 3 — Verify via the platform

Click Add next to the channel and log in to that platform with the account you want to add. This verifies that you manage that account. Do this with the official brand account, not a staff member's personal profile.

Step 4 — Keep your website markup up to date regardless

These properties don't replace your markup. Make sure the sameAs array in your Organization schema still contains the correct, canonical URLs for your channels. Conflicting signals are worse than a single signal.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Organization",
  "name": "Your company",
  "url": "https://yourdomain.com",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.linkedin.com/company/yourcompany/",
    "https://www.instagram.com/yourcompany/",
    "https://www.youtube.com/@yourcompany"
  ]
}

When doing so, make sure to use the final https URL without tracking parameters, the /company/ URL for LinkedIn, and the channel URL rather than a single video for YouTube.

Step 5 — Tidy up your account landscape

This change is a good moment to take stock of which accounts exist under your company's name: old channels nobody manages any more, duplicate pages, and profiles belonging to people or businesses with the same name. Decide for each account: keep, restore or let it lapse. Only channels you genuinely manage belong to your brand — and only those should be added as a property.

You can read how we bring rhythm and relevance to those channels on our social media marketing page.

Common mistakes

1. Looking in the left-hand menu or under Settings of your existing property — it's not there.
2. Assuming it's broken when in fact the rollout simply hasn't reached your account yet.
3. Verifying with a personal account instead of the brand account.
4. Letting your markup go stale because you assume this property takes over from it.
5. Expecting ranking gains; this is about insight, not positions.

To sum up

In short: social media in Search Console is a new property type that you add via "Add property" and verify by logging in to the platform — nothing more, nothing less. Don't see it yet? Wait. Do you see it? Five minutes of work per channel.

Want us to sort out your entity, markup and channels in one go? Get in touch — we're happy to take a look with you.