If a user conducts a search on Google.com, lands on my website, and is using a VPN (e.g., set to the USA, while their actual location is Oman), which country will Google Search Console attribute the visit to? Would it be based on the VPN location (USA) or the user’s real location (Oman), considering how GSC tracks geo-location data?
Hi 33qamar, Google estimates location in different ways:
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/179386?&p=home_work_location&sjid=17078075328191212420-EU#home_work_location&zippy=%2Cyour-home-or-work-address-from-your-google-account:~:text=How%20Google%20determines%20your%20location%20when%20you%20search
- device location (GPS)
- home/work address from Google Account
- previous activities on Google sites & apps
- IP
It actually also depends on the VPN - many VPNs will still send your actual IP unless you specifically mask it.
According to my experience, Google Analytics shows the VPN location of the visitor
Pay attention that GA4 collects data from the script on the website.
GSC collects data from Google’s websites.
When the other methods fail, Google uses IP and if users have a VPN, the IPs are which of the VPN!