Question 1

What is Searchlight and who is it for?

Accepted Answer

Searchlight is a free SEO intelligence platform built directly on top of your Google Search Console data. It's designed for SEO professionals, digital marketers, content teams, and website owners who want to turn raw GSC data into clear, actionable insights without exporting to spreadsheets or paying for bloated enterprise tools. Whether you manage one site or a portfolio of properties, Searchlight surfaces the opportunities, gaps, and risks already hiding in your own data.

Question 2

How much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Searchlight is completely free. There are no plans, no feature gating, and no hidden costs. You get full access to every tool in the toolkit: GSC Dashboard, Opportunity Finder, CTR Finder, Cannibalization Checker, UTM Builder, Meta Preview, PageSpeed Checker, Schema Tester, QR Generator, and more as we keep adding new tools.

Question 3

Is my Search Console data safe?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Searchlight connects to Google Search Console via OAuth 2.0 using a strictly read-only scope (webmasters.readonly). This means we can view your data but cannot make any changes to your Search Console account or your website. Your raw query data is never stored on our servers - it is fetched fresh each time you load a report and processed entirely in your browser session. We never sell or share your data with third parties.

Question 4

How do I connect my Google Search Console?

Accepted Answer

Click "Get started" on the homepage, sign in with the Google account that has access to your Search Console properties, and grant the read-only permission when prompted. That's it - all your verified properties become available immediately in the tool selector. You can revoke access at any time from your Google Account security settings.

Question 5

What does the GSC Dashboard show that Search Console itself doesn't?

Accepted Answer

Google's own Search Console interface is good for basic reporting but limited for analysis. Searchlight's GSC Dashboard adds 11 compound filters you can stack together (keyword clusters, question words, word count, position ranges), a compare mode that shows period-over-period deltas on every row, smart filter presets for common use cases like purchase-intent queries or informational content, and CSV export. You can also switch between queries, pages, countries and devices while keeping the same smart filter active.

Question 6

How does the Opportunity Finder work?

Accepted Answer

The Opportunity Finder fetches your last 28 days of GSC data alongside the equivalent prior period, then categorises every query into one of four signal groups: Quick Wins (queries ranking position 8–20 that are close to page one), Low CTR (queries where your actual click-through rate is significantly below the benchmark for that position), Declining (queries where clicks have dropped more than 20% compared to the prior period), and Rising (queries growing faster than 30%). Each signal group includes the data you need to prioritise which ones to act on first.

Question 7

What is keyword cannibalization and how does the checker help?

Accepted Answer

Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on your site rank for the same query, competing against each other instead of reinforcing one strong result. Google gets confused about which page to show and typically splits authority between them, weakening both. The Cannibalization Checker identifies every query where two or more of your URLs appear in GSC data, groups them by severity (High, Medium, Low based on how closely the pages compete), and lets you mark a primary URL for each cluster so you know which page to consolidate or redirect from.

Question 8

Do the UTM Builder, Meta Preview, PageSpeed and Schema Tester tools require login?

Accepted Answer

No. These four standalone tools work entirely without signing in or connecting Search Console. The UTM Builder helps you build consistent campaign tracking URLs with naming convention presets. Meta Preview shows a pixel-accurate simulation of how your title and description appear in Google search results. PageSpeed Checker runs a Core Web Vitals audit on any URL and gives you a prioritised fix list. Schema Tester validates JSON-LD structured data markup for rich result eligibility.

Question 9

What happens to my data if I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Because we never store your raw Search Console query data (it is always fetched live from Google's API), there is nothing to delete in that regard. We do store your email address to manage your account. You can request immediate deletion by emailing hello@seosearchlight.com.

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