Key Takeaways:
- Google Search Console is free and shows how Google sees your website
- The Performance report reveals which keywords you already rank for – often surprising opportunities
- Indexing problems can be directly identified and fixed
Google Search Console is the most important free SEO tool. It shows data directly from Google: How often does your website appear in search results? Which keywords bring clicks? What technical problems exist?
Yet many website owners don't use this tool or only superficially. It contains insights no other tool can provide.
Setting Up Search Console
Step 1: Add Property
Go to Search Console and sign in with your Google account. Click "Add property."
You have two options:
- Domain: Captures all subdomains and protocols (www, non-www, http, https)
- URL prefix: Captures only one specific version
The Domain option is more comprehensive but requires DNS verification. For most websites, it's the better choice.
Step 2: Verification
Depending on your choice, there are different verification methods:
| Method | For | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| DNS record | Domain property | Medium |
| HTML file | URL prefix | Easy |
| HTML tag | URL prefix | Easy |
| Google Analytics | URL prefix | Easy |
| Google Tag Manager | URL prefix | Easy |
After successful verification, it takes a few days for initial data to appear. Search Console shows historical data from the last 16 months.
Understanding the Performance Report
The most important area: Here you see how your website performs in Google Search.
The Four Main Metrics
Clicks: How often your search result was clicked.
Impressions: How often your page appeared in search results – even if nobody clicked.
CTR (Click-Through Rate): Ratio of clicks to impressions. A CTR of 5% means: For 100 impressions, there were 5 clicks.
Position: Average ranking position. Position 1 is the top spot, position 11 is the first spot on page 2.
Using Filters
Filter by:
- Queries: Which keywords bring traffic?
- Pages: Which pages perform best?
- Countries: Where do your visitors come from?
- Devices: Desktop, mobile, or tablet?
- Search appearance: Web, images, video, news?
Combining filters reveals deep insights. Example: Which keywords bring mobile traffic to your most important page?
Discovering Keyword Opportunities
Look for keywords with:
- High impressions but few clicks (improve CTR)
- Position 5-15 (almost on page 1 or barely on page 1)
- Relevant topic for your business
These "low-hanging fruits" can bring quick wins with targeted optimization. Optimize meta tags for better CTR or content for better rankings.
Checking Index Coverage
This report shows which pages Google has indexed and what problems occur.
Status Categories
Valid: Everything fine, page is indexed.
Valid with warnings: Indexed, but Google has notes.
Error: Page couldn't be indexed – take action!
Excluded: Deliberately not indexed (robots.txt, noindex) or excluded by Google.
Common Indexing Problems
| Problem | Meaning | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Server error (5xx) | Server not responding | Check hosting |
| Not found (404) | Page doesn't exist | Redirect or remove |
| Blocked by robots.txt | Crawling prevented | Check robots.txt |
| Noindex tag detected | Page shouldn't be indexed | Remove tag if unintended |
| Duplicate without canonical | Duplicate content | Set canonical tag |
Submitting Sitemaps
A sitemap helps Google find all important pages. In Search Console, you can submit sitemaps and check their status.
To submit a sitemap:
- Go to "Sitemaps" in the menu
- Enter your sitemap URL (usually /sitemap.xml)
- Click "Submit"
Google then shows how many pages were detected and indexed. Large differences between submitted and indexed pages indicate a problem.
Monitoring Core Web Vitals
The Core Web Vitals report shows whether your pages meet performance requirements.
The three metrics:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Load time of largest element
- INP (Interaction to Next Paint): Response time to interactions
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Visual stability
Pages are rated as "Good," "Needs Improvement," or "Poor." Problems here can affect rankings and user experience.
Mobile Usability
This report checks whether your pages work well on smartphones. Since Google indexes Mobile-First, these issues are critical.
Common mobile errors:
- Text too small to read
- Clickable elements too close together
- Content wider than screen
- Viewport not configured
URL Inspection Tool
With this tool, you can check individual URLs:
- Is the page indexed?
- When was it last crawled?
- Are there problems with structured data?
- How does Google see the page?
Especially useful after changes: Submit the URL for indexing so Google notices the update faster.
Links Report
The Links report shows internal and external linking:
External links: Which websites link to you? Useful for link building analysis.
Internal links: How is your internal linking structured? Important pages should have many internal links.
Practical Routine
Recommended regular checks:
Weekly:
- Check Performance report for unusual fluctuations
- Review new indexing errors
Monthly:
- Analyze keyword opportunities
- Check Core Web Vitals status
- Review Mobile Usability
Quarterly:
- Comprehensive sitemap review
- Analyze link profile
- Compare historical trends
Also check your website with our SEO Analyzer for comprehensive analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long until data appears in Search Console?
After verification, it can take 2-3 days for initial data to appear. For a new website without prior verification, Search Console initially shows no historical data – this builds up over time.
Can I manage multiple websites in one Search Console?
Yes. You can add any number of properties. Each website (domain or URL prefix) is managed as a separate property. Simply switch between them via the dropdown menu.
What does "Crawled but not indexed" mean?
Google visited the page but decided not to include it in the index. Possible reasons: too little content, duplicate content, low quality. Critically review the page and improve the content.