Managing your website without any data is like running a shop without knowing how many people walked past, which products they viewed, or why some doors were locked. With Google Search Console (GSC), Google provides a completely free service that tells you how your website is performing in Google Search. It helps you understand what is working and what you need to fix.
If you have ever wondered how to use Google Search Console, you are in the right place. In this guide, we cover how to set it up and how to understand its key reports, with an easy-to-follow breakdown of each. Whether you are totally new to this or already have some experience, you will find some great tips.
What is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console is a completely free service used by website owners, marketers, and developers to improve their websites in Google Search. It gives you insights into:
- Which queries are driving people to your site
- How often your pages appear and how often people click them
- Whether Google can find, crawl, and index your pages
- Whether there are any technical, mobile, or security issues with your site
- Which websites are linking to you
One thing to note is that GSC is not Google Analytics. GSC tells you what happens before someone visits your website, such as impressions and clicks from Google Search. Google Analytics tells you what people do after they arrive on your site. Using both together gives you the full picture.
Why is Search Console Important for SEO?
Google frequently updates its ranking systems, and its regular core updates aim to promote helpful, reliable, and user-friendly content. If your rankings go up or down after an update, having data helps you understand why. Search Console is the best place to start.
It helps you understand which pages are performing better or worse, identify indexing issues, and find new keyword opportunities.
How to Use Google Search Console
Step 1: Add Your Website to Search Console
Start by logging in to Google Search Console and clicking Add Property. You will have two options:
- Domain Property: This covers all versions of your site, including http, https, www, non-www, and all subdomains. It is the most comprehensive option, but it requires verification using DNS.
- URL-Prefix Property: This covers only the exact URL you enter. It offers more verification options and is easier for beginners.
If you are unsure, the Domain Property is usually the best choice.
Step 2: Verify Your Website
Before Google shares any data with you, it needs to confirm that you own the site. There are a few common ways to verify:
- DNS: Add a small text entry to your domain settings. This is required to verify Domain Properties.
- HTML File: Upload a file provided by Google to your website.
- HTML Tag: Insert a small meta tag into the head section of your homepage.
- Google Analytics or Tag Manager: If you have already set up your tracking, you can use it to verify.
Once your site is verified, make sure you do not remove the verification method. You could lose access to your data.
Step 3: Submit a Sitemap
A sitemap is a file that tells Google which important pages are on your site. To submit yours, click Sitemaps in the left-hand menu, type in your sitemap URL (usually /sitemap.xml), and click Submit.
After a short time, you will be able to see whether your sitemap was read successfully and how many pages Google found. If there are any issues, double-check your sitemap URL and make sure it lists only active pages.
How to Use the Key Reports in Google Search Console
Performance Report
This is where most people spend their time. The report shows how your site is performing in Google Search. The main metrics are:
- Total clicks: How many times people clicked through to your site
- Total impressions: How many times your pages were shown
- Average CTR: The percentage of impressions that turned into clicks
- Average position: Your average position in search results
You can also use filters to see:
- Queries: What people are searching for
- Pages: Specific URLs
- Country and device: Where your visitors are coming from and which devices they use
- Dates: Data compared across different time frames, for example the last 3 months against the previous 3
A great tip is to compare data across time frames. This is a useful way to track how your site is doing, especially after a Google update or after you have made changes to your content. Search Console stores around sixteen months of data, so you can easily see long-term trends.
Finding Easy Keyword Opportunities
An easy way to find opportunities is to look at the Performance report for queries or pages with high impressions and a low CTR, or those in the 8 to 20 position range. These pages are close to the top, and a few small changes can make a difference.
To improve these pages:
- Update the title tag and meta description to make them clearer and more enticing.
- Add sections that answer related questions.
- Make sure all information is up to date.
- Link internally from other relevant pages.
Always try to make your content helpful. Google rewards content that provides value to the reader.
Checking Indexing Issues
If your page is not indexed, it will not show up in search results. In the Pages report (under Indexing), you can see which URLs are indexed, which are not, and why.
Common reasons include:
- Crawled – Currently Not Indexed: Google has crawled your page but decided not to index it. You can improve this by raising the quality of the page and adding internal links.
- Discovered – Currently Not Indexed: Google knows your page exists but has not crawled it yet.
- Excluded by Noindex Tag: Your page is telling Google not to index it. Make sure this is intentional.
- Blocked by Robots.txt: Crawlers are not allowed to visit the page.
- Redirect or Duplicate: Google has chosen a different version of the page as the main version.
Not every excluded page is a problem. Thank-you pages and filtered URLs, for example, are often better left out of the index.
URL Inspection Tool
At the top of the page, you will find the URL Inspection tool. Simply paste in your URL, and Google will tell you whether the page has been indexed, when it was last crawled, and whether there are any issues with mobile display or structured data.
If you have published a new page or made a large update, you can click Request indexing. This does not guarantee instant results, but it can help speed things up.
Page Experience and Core Web Vitals
Google cares about how your pages feel to real users. The Core Web Vitals report shows how your pages perform in three areas:
- Loading Speed (LCP): How quickly your main content loads
- Interactivity (INP): How quickly your page responds
- Visual Stability (CLS): Whether your content moves around while loading
Your pages are split into three categories: Good, Needs Improvement, and Poor. If you have any issues, fix the biggest ones first, such as large images, slow scripts, or layout shifts. A fast and comfortable page helps with both rankings and conversions.
Fixing Enhancements and Structured Data Issues
If you have structured data (schema markup) on your site, you may find reports for items such as breadcrumbs, FAQs, products, reviews, and videos. These reports show what is valid and what has warnings or errors.
Fix any errors first, as they can prevent rich results from showing. Warnings are optional, but they are worth reviewing in your spare time.
Manual Actions and Security Issues
In the Security & Manual Actions section, Google tells you if there are security issues, such as your site being hacked, or if a manual reviewer found violations of its spam policies. These are very rare, but they are serious. If you receive a message, read the details carefully and fix the issue fully. Once this is done, you can request a reconsideration or review.
You can also enable email alerts so that Google can notify you quickly.
Links Report
The Links report shows which sites are linking to you, which pages get the most links, and how your internal links are performing. It can help you to:
- Identify your most valuable pages
- Identify pages that need more internal links
- Understand where your backlinks come from
Try to earn links naturally through helpful content rather than buying them. Manipulating links goes against Google’s spam policies.
A Quick Weekly Routine
You do not need to spend hours in Search Console. Try this quick routine:
- Check the Performance report for any sudden changes in clicks or impressions.
- Review the Pages report for any new indexing issues.
- Check Core Web Vitals for any new issues.
- Read any messages or alerts.
- Pick one page with a high number of impressions but low clicks, and improve it.
Keep it consistent rather than complicated.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Do not ignore the data. Setting up Search Console and never using it takes away its value.
- Do not panic about small changes. Rankings always fluctuate, so look at the trends.
- Do not try to fix everything. Focus on issues affecting your most important pages.
- Do not focus only on rankings. Always focus on providing helpful and reliable content.
- Do not forget to recheck. Once you have fixed an issue, use the validation option so that Google can confirm it.
Final Thoughts
Understanding how to use Google Search Console gives you a clear advantage. It shows you what Google can see, what your audience is searching for, and what improvements you can make to your website. Start by adding your site, verifying it, and submitting your sitemap. Then check your Performance and Pages reports regularly.
At Cloudstar Digital, we help businesses use their Search Console data to create intelligent SEO strategies that increase traffic and leads. If you want expert help with technical SEO, content, or reporting, get in touch with our team today.
