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Google Search Console Expands to Social Media with New Platform Properties

Google has taken a significant step towards connecting traditional search optimisation with social media visibility by introducing support for social and video accounts within Google Search Console.

The new feature, known as Platform Properties, allows eligible users to add and verify selected social media accounts directly within Search Console. The development gives marketers, publishers and businesses a clearer view of how their social content performs across Google Search and other Google surfaces.

The update is particularly important for brands investing heavily in social media SEO, as it creates a stronger connection between website optimisation, social content and organic search performance.

Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube Are Currently Supported

Under the new Platform Properties system, Google currently supports four major platforms:

• Instagram
• TikTok
• X
• YouTube

Once an account has been added and successfully verified, Search Console can provide performance information relating to content from that platform.

This means businesses may now be able to analyse how individual social posts, videos and profile pages are discovered through Google rather than relying exclusively on analytics provided by the social networks themselves.

The update effectively expands the role of Google Search Console social media reporting beyond conventional websites.

For digital marketers, this creates a new layer of visibility. A high-performing Instagram Reel, TikTok video or YouTube page appearing in Google Search can now become part of the wider organic search reporting process.

What Can Businesses Measure?

Platform Properties are primarily designed for performance measurement rather than direct index management.

Businesses can analyse metrics such as impressions, clicks, search queries, countries and the social content URLs receiving the greatest visibility from Google.

This distinction is important.

Adding an Instagram or TikTok account to Search Console does not mean marketers suddenly gain the same technical controls available for websites. Users cannot submit a social media sitemap, manually request indexing for an Instagram post or manage crawling in the same way they would for a conventional website.

Instead, the feature focuses on understanding how Google surfaces publicly available content from social platforms.

For example, a restaurant may discover that an Instagram Reel promoting Turkish breakfast is attracting Google impressions for searches such as “Turkish breakfast near me” or “halal breakfast restaurant”.

Previously, much of this search behaviour would have been difficult to connect directly with social content.

Social Media SEO Is Becoming More Measurable

The development reflects a broader change in how consumers use search.

Social platforms increasingly function as discovery engines in their own right, while Google continues to display social videos, profile pages and short-form content within search results.

As these ecosystems overlap, social media SEO is becoming increasingly relevant to conventional search strategies.

Marketers will therefore need to think beyond simply optimising websites.

Captions, video titles, profile descriptions, topics, keywords and the overall relevance of social content may play a growing role in how a brand is discovered through Google.

Platform Properties will make at least part of this relationship easier to measure.

A business could, for instance, compare the search visibility of different Instagram Reels and use Search Console query data to identify the wording and topics people are actually searching for.

That information can then influence future social posts, video scripts and website content.

The Feature Is Still Being Rolled Out

Google announced the Platform Properties expansion in July 2026 and indicated that availability would be introduced gradually.

As a result, not every Search Console account may currently display the new options.

Users with access should be able to open the property selector inside Google Search Console and choose the option to add a new property. Supported social or video platforms can then appear alongside conventional website properties.

Account ownership or platform access must also be verified before performance information becomes available.

For agencies managing multiple clients, this rollout could eventually provide a more unified reporting environment covering both website search performance and selected social channels.

Facebook and LinkedIn Are Not Yet Included

One notable limitation is the current absence of Facebook and LinkedIn.

At present, the Platform Properties functionality officially focuses on Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube.

That leaves two major platforms outside the system, particularly LinkedIn, which plays an important role in B2B search visibility.

Google could expand the list of supported services in the future, although no broader platform support should be assumed until officially announced.

Search Console Is Moving Beyond the Website

The introduction of Platform Properties represents more than a minor reporting update.

Historically, Search Console has been viewed primarily as a technical SEO tool for monitoring websites. Social media performance was generally assessed separately through native analytics platforms and third-party tools.

That separation is beginning to narrow.

Google is increasingly recognising that businesses can appear in search results through websites, videos, social profiles and individual social posts.

By bringing more of that information into Search Console, the company is giving marketers a clearer picture of their overall organic search presence.

For brands, the practical implication is straightforward: SEO strategy will increasingly need to consider both websites and social platforms as part of the same discoverability ecosystem.

What This Means for Digital Marketing

For businesses already investing in video and social content, Platform Properties could become an important reporting tool.

Search teams may use the information to identify high-performing social topics, while content teams can analyse search queries to develop more relevant videos and posts.

Agencies could also combine website and platform reporting to demonstrate how organic visibility extends beyond a client’s main domain.

The change does not replace traditional SEO, but it does broaden its scope.

As Google continues to surface content from social networks within search results, understanding how that content performs will become increasingly valuable.

The arrival of Google Search Console social media reporting is therefore an important development for marketers attempting to understand where search, social discovery and content strategy increasingly intersect.