Dodgy SEO companies often promise unrealistic results without transparency about *how* they’ll achieve them. A core mechanism to evaluate their claims is understanding how Google’s Search Console and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) work – legitimate SEO relies on data from these platforms, and a company avoiding discussion of them is a significant red flag.
Google Search Console, freely available to Australian businesses, provides data on a website’s performance in Google Search. As of December 2025, it reports on Core Web Vitals (measuring page experience – loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability), keyword rankings (though exact rankings are less prominent now), indexing status, and potential technical issues like mobile usability errors. GA4, also free, tracks website traffic and user behaviour. Currently, GA4 uses a data-driven attribution model, meaning it attempts to assign credit to different marketing touchpoints based on statistical analysis, rather than simple ‘last click’ attribution. In 2026, Google is rolling out Privacy Sandbox features within GA4, impacting how user data is collected and reported to comply with evolving Australian privacy regulations. A legitimate SEO company will regularly monitor these metrics and use them to inform strategy, demonstrating improvements through Search Console reports and GA4 dashboards. They’ll explain how GA4’s event tracking – customisable actions users take on your site – provides insights into user engagement.
Essentially, these Google platforms provide verifiable data on website performance, and a transparent SEO company will base their work and reporting on the insights they provide.
