Will linking new Google Analytics account to old Search Console remove all historical data?

Question

I'm doing SEO work on an existing WordPress site for a client and I'm wondering if by linking a brand new Google Analytics tracking ID to their Google Search Console data if it will erase/destroy all the past historical data?

Here are the relevant details:

• The client had NO analytics accounts of any kind.
• I added their website as a new property in MY Google Search Console account.
• I created a new property (I think) tracking ID for their website in my Google Analytics account.

Now this is crucial to understand:

• Client has TONS of past historical data that showed up in Google Search Console, but ...
• Client has NO TRAFFIC WHATSOEVER showing up in Google Analytics

What I'm contemplating doing is this:

• Install the Monster Insights plugin using the new (and only) Google Analytics tracking ID
• Link the Google Analytics and Search Console accounts
• Watch as all the data in Google Search Console magically populates the Google Analytics account

I'm hoping this is how it works, but I wanted to reach out on here and ask first in case the opposite happens. If linking these two accounts erases all the historical data in both accounts that would be very bad!!!

Answer 1

Google analytics wont show any historical data for general site visitor traffic prior to the date the the GA Property's tracking code snippet is correctly installed on the site. It will then track/report data going forward.
GA will track a visitor's site activity once a visitor lands on the actual website.

GSC tracks/reports via it's own methods based on users' activity on Google Organic Search. Linking GSC to GA will display some of this GSC reported data in GA, viewable in the Acquisition > Search Console reports. Linking the two does not remove the data from GSC. This is not data that has been tracked by GA.