Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows how your website performs in search: which searches you show up for, how often people click, and whether Google is having trouble with any of your pages. If you only set up one SEO tool, make it this one. Here’s how I walk business owners through it.
Setting it up
- Go to Google Search Console and sign in with your Google account.
- Add your website. The “Domain” option covers every version of your site, but it requires a DNS change. The “URL prefix” option is simpler if you’re on WordPress with a plugin like Site Kit or Yoast.
- Verify that you own the site. Site Kit can do this for you in a few clicks.
- Submit your sitemap (often
yoursite.com/sitemap_index.xml) under Sitemaps.
Data starts appearing within a few days and builds up over time.
Report 1: Performance
This is the one I look at most. It shows:
- Queries: the actual searches people typed before seeing your site
- Clicks: how many people clicked through
- Impressions: how many times you appeared in results
- Average position: roughly where you showed up
Look for searches where you get lots of impressions but few clicks. That often means your page title or description could be more compelling, or you’re ranking just outside the top spots and a little work could move you up.
Report 2: Pages (indexing)
This tells you which pages Google has included in its index and which it hasn’t, with reasons. A few pages not indexed is normal. What you’re looking for is an important page, like a service page, that should be showing up and isn’t.
Report 3: Experience
This covers how your pages perform for real visitors on phones: loading speed and usability. If Google flags problems here, they’re worth fixing, both for rankings and for the people trying to use your site.
A simple monthly routine
- Check Performance for the last 28 days vs. the previous period
- Note your top five searches and whether they make sense for your business
- Scan Pages for any important page that dropped out of the index
- Glance at Experience for new issues
Fifteen minutes a month is plenty for most small businesses.
What Search Console won’t tell you
It shows search activity, not what people do on your site after they arrive. For that, you’ll want Google Analytics. Together, they give you a much clearer picture.
Questions I hear a lot
Is Search Console the same as Google Analytics?
No. Search Console covers how you appear in Google search. Analytics covers what visitors do on your site.
Why don’t I see any data?
New properties take a few days to fill in, and low-traffic sites will show less data.
If you want a second set of eyes
If you’ve set it up and aren’t sure what you’re looking at, I’m glad to walk through it with you. That’s exactly the kind of thing my training sessions cover, and it ties right into SEO.