How to give us read-only Search Console access - Zephyra Studio

To see what Google actually sees on your site, add us as a Search Console user with the Restricted permission. It takes about two minutes, and we cannot change anything. The address you add is zephyra@zephyra-509615.iam.gserviceaccount.com. Below are the steps, the difference between property types, and how to revoke access.

Before you start

Only the owner of a property can add users in Search Console. Check whether that is you: in Search Console pick the site, then Settings, then Users and permissions. Next to your account it should say Owner.

If it says something else, or you cannot see the site in the list, someone else is the owner, often the agency that built the site. What to do then is in the last section.

Steps (about two minutes)

1. Open Search Console at search.google.com/search-console and sign in with the Google account that owns the site.

2. Pick your site at the top left.

3. Click Settings at the bottom left.

4. Click Users and permissions.

5. Click Add user.

6. Paste zephyra@zephyra-509615.iam.gserviceaccount.com into the email field.

7. Choose Restricted as the Permission.

8. Click Add. The account shows in the user list right away.

9. Come back here and tell us using the form below, or reply to our email.

Whose address that is

It is a service account our tools use to read reports, not a person. That is why it does not end in gmail.com. Google accepts it as an ordinary user, the same as a real person.

Domain or URL-prefix property

In the site picker you will see one of two kinds. A Domain property (shows only the domain, for example example.com, with a globe icon) covers all addresses, with and without www and on http and https. A URL-prefix property (shows a full URL, for example https://www.example.com/) covers only that exact prefix.

Add us to the one that covers the whole site. If you have both, add us to the Domain property. If you are not sure, add us to every one you have, nothing breaks.

What a Restricted user can and cannot do

• It can see the same reports you do: performance, indexing, sitemaps, Core Web Vitals.
• It cannot change property settings.
• It cannot add or remove users.
• It cannot change anything on your site, because Search Console is not a tool for editing a site.
• It does not see personal data about visitors. The reports are aggregate: queries, pages, clicks and errors.

How to revoke access

The same way: Settings, Users and permissions, the three dots next to our account, then Remove access. The access disappears immediately. You can do it whenever you like, without giving a reason.

If you do not have Search Console or are not the owner

If you do not have Search Console: tell us, and we help with the setup. It needs ownership verification of the domain, usually a single DNS record at the company where the domain was bought. It is a one-time thing.

If the owner is an agency or a former contractor: ask them to add us with the same steps, or to transfer ownership to you. If they do not respond and you own the domain, you can verify the domain yourself with a new DNS record and become the new owner, independent of the old account.

If you do not know which account is the owner: try signing in with the accounts you used when the site was built. If nothing works, DNS verification is the safe route.

Key takeaways

• You add the address zephyra@zephyra-509615.iam.gserviceaccount.com as a user with the Restricted permission.
• Only the owner of the property can add a user.
• Restricted means read-only: nothing can be changed on the site or in the settings.
• You revoke access the same way, at any moment.
• If you do not have Search Console or are not the owner, tell us and we sort it out together.