Google Search Console: setup and the reports that matter

What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console is a free service from Google that shows how your site appears in Google Search, which searches bring visitors, which pages are indexed, and any problems Google finds.

It's different from Google Analytics. Analytics shows what people do on your site; Search Console shows what happens before they arrive: impressions, rankings and clicks in Google.

How do you set it up?

1. Go to Google Search Console and sign in with a Google account you'll keep long-term.
2. Choose a property type:
   • Domain property (recommended): covers all versions such as http, https, www, non-www and subdomains. Verified by adding a DNS TXT record at your domain provider.
   • URL-prefix property: covers one exact address. Can be verified with an HTML file, meta tag, Google Analytics or Tag Manager.
3. Add the TXT record in your domain's DNS settings (for example in Hostinger's DNS zone), then click Verify. DNS changes can take a little while to take effect.
4. Add teammates under Settings → Users and permissions, rather than sharing your login.

How do you submit a sitemap?

• Find your sitemap URL, often /sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml on WordPress SEO plugins.
• Open Sitemaps in Search Console, enter the URL and submit.
• Check the status: “Success” means Google read it. Errors usually mean a wrong URL or a file that isn't valid XML.
• Resubmitting isn't needed every time you publish; Google rechecks sitemaps periodically.

How do you read the Performance report?

The Performance report shows clicks, impressions, average click-through rate and average position for your site in Google Search, for up to about 16 months.

Use the tabs to view Queries, Pages, Countries, Devices and Search appearance, and filter by date to compare periods, such as this month vs last month or this Diwali vs last Diwali.

How do you find quick wins in the Performance report?

• High impressions, low CTR: rewrite the title tag and meta description to match the query better and give a reason to click.
• Average position 8–20: these pages are close to page one. Improve the content, add missing subtopics and FAQs, and add internal links from related pages.
• Queries without a matching page: if you get impressions for a topic you haven't really covered, create a dedicated page.
• Pages losing clicks: compare periods to spot declines early, then check whether competitors improved or intent changed.

How do you use the Pages (indexing) report?

The Pages report shows how many of your pages are indexed and lists reasons why others aren't. Not every page needs indexing. Thank-you pages, filters and duplicates are fine to exclude. But check that your important pages are indexed.

What does URL Inspection do?

URL Inspection checks a single page: whether it's indexed, when it was last crawled, which canonical Google chose, whether it's mobile-friendly, and which structured data it found.

• Use Test live URL after making changes to see what Google sees now.
• Use Request indexing for new or significantly updated important pages. There's a daily limit, so don't use it for every small edit.
• Use View crawled page to check that important content and links appear in the HTML Google sees.

What do the experience reports show?

• Core Web Vitals: groups of URLs rated Good, Needs improvement or Poor for real-user loading, responsiveness and stability, separately for mobile and desktop.
• HTTPS: pages served over HTTPS vs HTTP.

Fix templates rather than individual pages: if all blog posts are slow, the problem is usually the blog template, images or a plugin.

What about enhancements, links and security?

• Enhancements / rich results: shows structured data Google found, such as breadcrumbs, products, reviews or videos, with errors to fix.
• Links: your top linked pages and linking sites, plus internal links. Useful to see which pages need more internal links.
• Manual actions: should say “No issues detected”. If not, Google's reviewers found a policy violation; fix it and request reconsideration.
• Security issues: alerts if your site is hacked or serving harmful content.
• Removals: temporarily hide URLs from search, for example after accidentally publishing private information.

Should you link Search Console with GA4?

Yes. Linking Search Console to Google Analytics 4 lets you see organic search queries and landing pages alongside engagement and conversions in GA4. Set it up from GA4 Admin → Product links → Search Console links. See our GA4 for beginners guide.

What's a simple weekly and monthly routine?

Worked example: finding quick wins for a Jaipur jewellery store

A jewellery store in Jaipur opens its Performance report for the last three months.

• “silver anklets for women” has 4,200 impressions, 38 clicks and an average position of 9.4. The page ranks but barely gets clicked. The store rewrites the title to “Silver Anklets for Women: 120+ Designs from ₹899 | Free Shipping” and adds a size guide and FAQs.
• “kundan necklace set price” sits at position 14 for a category page with almost no text. The store adds a short buying guide, a price table and customer photos.
• “how to clean silver jewellery at home” brings impressions to a product page, which is the wrong intent. The store writes a dedicated how-to article and links it to product pages.

Six weeks later the store compares the same queries with the previous period to see what moved, then repeats the process with the next set of opportunities.

How do you use filters and comparisons effectively?

• Compare periods: last 28 days vs previous 28 days for quick checks; this year vs last year for seasonal businesses.
• Filter by page to see every query one page ranks for, which is useful when improving that page.
• Filter by query to see which pages compete for the same keyword (possible cannibalisation).
• Filter by device to spot mobile-specific problems.
• Filter by country to focus on India if you get international traffic.
• Exclude brand queries to see how non-brand, new-customer searches are growing.
• Export data to Google Sheets for deeper analysis or to track pages over time.

What is keyword cannibalisation and how do you spot it?

Cannibalisation happens when several of your pages compete for the same search, so Google switches between them and none ranks as well as one strong page would.

To spot it, filter the Performance report by a query and open the Pages tab. If two or three pages share impressions for the same query and intent, consider:

• Merging them into one stronger page and redirecting the others.
• Making each page clearly distinct, such as a service page vs an informational guide.
• Updating internal links so the main page gets the strongest signals.

How do you use Search Console after a Google update?

When Google announces a core update, wait until the rollout finishes before drawing conclusions. Then compare a period after the update with a similar period before it:

• Check which pages and queries lost or gained the most.
• Look for patterns: is it one section of the site, one type of page, or everything?
• Compare losing pages with the pages now ranking above you. Are they more helpful, more up to date or more trustworthy?
• Improve content quality rather than making quick technical tweaks; recovery often comes with later updates.

How do you check structured data in Search Console?

The Enhancements section lists the structured data types Google detected, such as breadcrumbs, products, videos or review snippets, with valid items, warnings and errors.

• Fix errors first; they can stop the item appearing as a rich result.
• Warnings are optional fields; add them where accurate.
• After fixing a template, use Validate fix so Google rechecks affected pages.
• Only mark up content that's visible on the page and true.

How do you use the Links report?

The Links report shows your most-linked pages, the sites linking to you and your internal links.

• Top linked pages (external): pages that attract links. Link from them to important service pages to pass value.
• Top linking sites: useful to see partners, directories and press mentions. Unknown spammy sites are usually ignored by Google.
• Internal links: important pages should have plenty of internal links. If a key service page has very few, add links from related blog posts and the menu.

How do you manage several sites or a big site?

• Add each domain as its own Domain property; add URL-prefix properties for important sections like /blog/ if you want focused reports.
• Use consistent user permissions: owners in the business, full or restricted users for agencies.
• Connect Search Console data to Looker Studio for a combined dashboard.
• Set up email notifications so the right person sees critical issues quickly.
• Use the bulk data export to BigQuery if you outgrow the interface's row limits.

What mistakes do beginners make?

• Adding only a URL-prefix property and missing data from other versions of the site.
• Panicking over every excluded URL. Many exclusions are normal.
• Requesting indexing for every small change.
• Comparing different date ranges without accounting for seasons and festivals.
• Never acting on the data, which is where the value lies.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further reading

• Google Search Console Help
• Google Search Central documentation
• Google Search Console