What changed in search, and what to do about it.

Tidy Workbook is a Google Sheets add-on. Pick one of your Search Console properties and it writes seven tabs into your spreadsheet, comparing the last 28 finalized days with the 28 before. Each row is a finding with its size, a suggested action and the rule behind it.

See what a build writes What it can and cannot touch

In development. Not yet on the Google Workspace Marketplace.

TW Pages losing clicks Example data

Lost 120 clicks (340 to 220) as average position slipped from 4.2 to 6.1.

Clicks, previous 28 days340

Clicks, last 28 days220

−120

clicks on https://www.example.com/pricing. Cause: ranking.

Compare the page with the results now above it and update it. Rule: position worse by 1.0 or more

Every example on this page uses an invented site and invented numbers.

Tabs written per build: 7
Days compared with the 28 before: 28
Permissions, read-only on Search Console: 4
Servers. Nothing is stored outside your spreadsheet: 0

The questions a build answers.

Each question has its own tab. Pick one to see the rows it writes.

How did the whole property move? Which pages lost clicks, and why? Which pages gained, and what worked? Which queries are within reach? Where does a top result get ignored? Which of my pages compete with each other?

How did the whole property move?

TW SummaryExample data

Four numbers for the last 28 finalized days against the 28 before, then 16 weeks of weekly totals.

Metric	Last 28 days	Previous 28	Change
Clicks	4,820	5,310	-490
Impressions	212,400	198,700	13,700
CTR	2.27%	2.67%	-0.40%
Average position	14.2	12.9	1.3

Which pages lost clicks, and why?

TW Pages losing clicksExample data

The pages with the largest drop in clicks, each with a cause such as ranking, demand or click rate.

Finding	Clicks	Suggested action
Lost 120 clicks (340 to 220) as average position slipped from 4.2 to 6.1.	-120	Compare the page with the results now above it and update it.
Lost 64 clicks (210 to 146) as impressions fell from 5200 to 3600.	-64	Fewer people searched for this; check seasonality before changing the page.
Lost 31 clicks (95 to 64) as the share of impressions earning clicks fell.	-31	Rewrite the title and description so the result earns the click.

Which pages gained, and what worked?

TW Pages gaining clicksExample data

The same reading for pages whose clicks rose, so you know what to protect and what to repeat.

Finding	Clicks	Suggested action
Gained 85 clicks (40 to 125) as average position improved from 9.8 to 6.4.	85	Protect the changes that improved the page and repeat them on related pages.
Gained 52 clicks (0 to 52) on a page with no clicks recorded in the previous period.	52	Protect the new page and repeat its useful coverage on related topics.

Which queries are within reach?

TW Within reachExample data

Queries at average position 8 to 20 with the most impressions, and the page that ranks for each.

Finding	Query	Suggested action
2400 impressions at average position 11.3 put this query within reach.	invoice template for freelancers	Improve the ranking page to answer this query more fully.
1150 impressions at average position 8.6 put this query within reach.	how to number invoices	Improve the ranking page to answer this query more fully.

Where does a top result get ignored?

TW Low click rateExample data

Queries in the top 5 positions whose click rate is under half your own median for that position. The median comes from your own queries.

Finding	Query	Suggested action
About 41 clicks missed (estimate): click rate 1.4% against your median 7.8% at position 2.	invoice due date	Rewrite the title and description to match what this query asks for.
About 38 clicks missed (estimate): click rate 1.2% against your median 4.9% at position 3.	late payment fee wording	Rewrite the title and description to match what this query asks for.

Which of my pages compete with each other?

TW Competing pagesExample data

Queries where two or more of your pages each take 20 percent or more of the impressions.

Finding	Pages and share	Suggested action
2 pages each take at least 20% of this query's 1800 impressions.	/pricing 55%, /plans 38%	Compare the pages and give each a distinct purpose or combine overlapping coverage.

What it can touch, and what it cannot.

The add-on asks for four permissions. This is what each one is used for.

It does	It never does
Read your Search Console performance data.	Change anything in Search Console. The access is read-only.
Create its own tabs in the spreadsheet you opened it in, and replace tabs it built earlier after asking you.	Write to a tab it did not create, or open any other file in your Drive.
Call Google's Search Console API from inside your spreadsheet.	Send your data to a server of ours. We do not run one.
Show a sidebar when you open it from the Extensions menu.	Run on a schedule or in the background.

The full account is in the privacy policy.

How a build runs

1
Open the sidebar.

Extensions menu, Tidy Workbook, Open report builder.
2
Pick one of your properties.

Only properties verified in your Google account are listed.
3
Choose Build report.

Progress shows step by step. Large properties take a few minutes.

It asks before replacing tabs it built earlier. If Search Console refuses the heaviest pull, the other six tabs are still built and Competing pages can be retried later.

What the numbers leave out.

Search Console data arrives a few days late, so a build uses finalized days only and prints the last finalized date on every tab.
Position is an average over every impression.
Impressions count every search result element shown, so they do not match sessions or ad impressions.
Google hides some queries for privacy and returns the top rows first, so the page and query tabs add up to less than the Summary.

In development.

Tidy Workbook is not yet listed on the Google Workspace Marketplace. Search Console is the first source; others will follow as separate add-ons.

Questions: support@tidyworkbook.com