Your Guide to Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a very nifty little SEO tool, and best of all, it’s a free one. You can use it to monitor how Google views your website, as well as gain insights into how you can optimise it for organic search. According to Google, whether you’re a business owner, SEO specialist, marketer, site administrator, or web developer, Google Search Console (GSC) will come in handy.
But - I won’t lie, upon first look, it can seem pretty intimidating. I mean, what the heck is index coverage? Like anything though, the more you use it, the less confusing it will become. But if you want to fast-track your learning curve, here’s a quick guide to help you set up and use GSC like a pro!
How to Set Up Google Search Console
First things first, you will need a Google account in order to create a GSC account. And you’ll need to use your business account (not personal) if it’s a business website.
Head on over to Google Search Console and click on “Start Now”
Sign in to your Google account and click on “Add a Property”
You’ll be prompted to select your property type - go for “URL prefix” and add in your website URL. If you are particularly web savvy, it is preferred that you select “Domain” instead, but it is a more complicated verification process
Click “Continue”
Pick a way to verify your website - if you need help with this, here are some instructions (you need to verify that you own that site because GSC gives you access to confidential information about your site’s performance)
If your website supports both HTTP:// and HTTPS:// you will need to add both as separate sites. Likewise, if you have any other domains like blog.yourdomain.com.
#1. Set Up Your Users, Owners & Permissions
I know this is boring stuff, but it’s important to get the setup right. There are two GSC role types that you can choose from.
Owner - an owner has total control over their properties in GSC. They can add and remove other users, change the settings, see all data, and access every tool. A verified owner has completed the property verification, while a delegated owner has been added by a verified one.
User - a user has more limited access. They can see all data and take some actions, but they can’t add new users.
List out who in your business needs access to your GSC (including any external contractors or freelancers you may work with), and decide what level of access you want them to have. Here are some detailed instructions on adding and removing users.
#2. Associate your Google Analytics Account
If you have a Google Analytics account, you can associate it with your GSC. That means that you can then see GSC data in GA reports, and you can access GA reports in sections of Search Console. Just keep in mind, a GA property can only be associated with one GSC site and vice versa. If you own your GA site, follow these instructions to associate it with your GSC site.
#3. Add your Sitemap
A sitemap is a list of pages of a website within a domain. It isn’t necessary to have one to show up in Google search results though. As long as your site is organised correctly, Google’s web crawlers will be able to find most of your pages. Most website platforms will automatically create a sitemap for you though - so you probably already have one. If you have a Squarespace site, just type your domain into your browser, and add “sitemap.xml” at the end, and voila [i.e. yourdomain.com.au/sitemap.xml]. Once you have your sitemap, you can submit it to Google using the GSC sitemaps tool.
Google will then process and index your sitemap, and it will soon show in your Sitemaps report. You’ll be able to see when Google last read your sitemap and how many URL’s it has indexed.
How to Use GSC
Now that you’re all set up, it’s time to start checking out what you can do with your new nifty tool. Seriously - play around with the reports, you’re not going to break them. You’ll learn a whole lot more by just going through each section on your own than you will with a step-by-step guide. But, I’m going to give you a helping hand anyway.
At its core, Search Console helps you monitor, maintain and optimise your website’s organic search presence. Most people primarily use it to view clicks and impressions, but it can also do so much more.
For example it can:
Find search queries that drive traffic
Find how well all of your pages rank and identify any ranking increases and decreases
Identify and leverage backlinks to boost your SEO
Highlight any errors that need fixing
Identify mobile usability issues and help you make your site more mobile friendly
Show if your site has been hacked
Help you monitor click-through rates, impressions, and average position
Idenity your lowest-ranking pages and highest-traffic queries
Compare your site’s search performance across different countries and different devices
Learn how many of your pages have been indexed, or which pages haven’t been indexed and why
Identify which sites link to you the most and how many backlinks you have
Identify which pages have the most internal links and how many total internal links your site has
See how Google views a URL
Whew…. it’s a lot hey! Deep breath. It’s going to be okay. Data overload is a real thing, and you don’t HAVE to look at all of those things. But, if you do - you can walk away with a heap of useful knowledge.
Here are a few examples:
If you monitor your click-through rate over time, you’ll notice if you experience any drops. If you’re also monitoring your impressions over time and you notice those have gone up, that could mean you’re simply ranking for more keywords - so you’re being seen more, but your CTR has declined (probably temporarily as your new audience gets to know you)
If you can identify your lowest-ranking pages, you know where to focus your next SEO efforts to try to get those to improve
If you identify any mobile usability issues, you can work to correct those. This, in turn, should make it a better experience for anyone who visits your site on their phone and improve your conversion rate on mobile
If you can see which pages have heaps of internal links - and conversely, which don’t - you can add more internal linking to your SEO strategy
Really, what you can do with the data from GSC is endless. But just remember, data is only data until it’s used. Use your data to make improvements to your website - improvements that are based on how your users are using your website, not on your gut feel, or how you use your website.
Typically, a quick site check once a month will be enough, just to make sure everything is in tip-top shape on your website. If there are any errors or anything that needs your urgent attention, you will receive a Google notification via email. But, if you’re actively working to improve your SEO and your website’s user experience, Google Search Console is a very handy tool, and totally worth spending the time to figure out. You’ll be able to harness heaps of data that you can then use to make informed decisions about. It’s also very handy if you ever decide to outsource your SEO - if you get this tool set up from the get-go (or from now - go now), when you do outsource, the agency or contractor you work with will have heaps of historical data to work with, enabling them to make educated decisions on your behalf.
If you’re still completely pulling your hair out after going through this guide, give me a shout and let’s see how I can help!
