What people search
The searches that showed your website, how often, and how many people clicked.
Google Search Console in plain words
Search Console is Google's free report on your website. It shows what people searched before they found you, which pages Google has in its index, and what is holding the rest back. Ten minutes a month is enough to use it well.
- Freefrom Google
- 16 monthsof search data
- 10 minutesa month is enough
Read a Performance report
This is what the most useful report in Search Console looks like, with example numbers for a small business. Tap a search to see what the numbers mean and what to do next. Use the filters to find quick wins.
| Search |
|---|
Example data. Your own report shows the last 3 months by default and up to 16 months.
What Search Console tells you
Three questions it answers that no other tool answers as well.
What Google has
Which pages are in Google's index, which are not, and why.
What is broken
Speed problems, mobile issues, security warnings and penalties, often with an email alert.
The reports worth knowing
Search Console has many reports. These eight are the ones worth knowing. Hover or tap any item to see the details.
- Clicks and impressions
- Click rate and average position
- Filter by page, country, device
- Is it in Google?
- When it was last crawled
- Request indexing after a change
- Reasons for each excluded page
- Not every exclusion is an error
- Check after big changes
- Submit it once
- WordPress makes one for you
- Shows when it was read
- Phone and computer
- Good, needs work, poor
- Groups of similar pages
- Top linking sites
- Your most linked pages
- Internal links too
- Hacked content warnings
- Penalties from Google staff
- Empty is good news
- New indexing problems
- Security issues
- Sent to every owner
Set it up in five steps
About 15 minutes, once. After that, data starts arriving within a few days.
- Step 1
Add your website
Sign in at search.google.com/search-console with a Google account and add a Domain property.
- Step 2
Prove it is yours
Add the TXT record Google gives you at your domain provider. It covers every version of your address.
- Step 3
Submit your sitemap
WordPress makes one at /wp-sitemap.xml. SEO plugins often use /sitemap_index.xml instead.
- Step 4
Wait a few days
Search data appears with a delay of about two days and builds up from there.
- Step 5
Look once a month
Check the Performance report, then Page indexing. Fix one thing at a time.
Four things people read wrong
- Average position is not your rankIt is an average over every search and every time you were shown.
- Impressions without clicksOften a title that does not promise the answer, not a bad page.
- Not every excluded page is a problemDuplicates and redirects are meant to stay out.
- Yesterday is missingData arrives about two days late. That is normal.
Questions about Google Search Console
Is Google Search Console free?
Yes, completely. All you need is a Google account and access to your domain settings or website.
What is the difference between Search Console and Google Analytics?
Search Console shows what happens on Google before people visit you: searches, clicks and indexing. Analytics shows what they do on your website after they arrive. Use both. See Google Analytics 4.
How long does Search Console keep data?
Up to 16 months of search data. Export it if you want to keep it longer.
Can I give my web agency access?
Yes. In Settings, under Users and permissions, add their Google account as a full or restricted user. You stay the owner.
Should I click Request indexing for every page?
No. Use it for a new or changed important page. Your sitemap takes care of the rest.
Want us to read it for you?
Give us access to your Search Console and we come back with the three things we would fix first.