How to Use Google Search Console (GSC)? Boost Your Website’s SEO

Introduction to Google Search Console (GSC)

If you’re serious about SEO, then Google Search Console (GSC) is one tool you’ll want to add to your must-haves. It can show you how a site looks in Google Search, what indexing issues may be existing, and how Googlebot views the pages of the site. 

Regardless if you’re a marketer, a web owner or just trying to grow traffic to your website, GSC provides good information about performance, site errors and possible site security issues. It’s a bit of a dashboard for your site’s overall health in search.

The odd thing is that many aren’t maximizing what GSC can do for their SEO. There are features which are tucked inside, that measure much more than basic stats. A few can actually help increase organic traffic when implemented correctly. 

If you’ve been curious about how well your SEO is actually performing, GSC might have that answer for you already.

What is Google Search Console: Everything You Need To Know

Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools) is a free tool from Google that allows you to inspect the way your site appears in search. It provides key details related to indexing, search performance, and any issues that can impact visibility.

Whether you are managing SEO for your site or are just looking to attract more traffic, GSC provides initial diagnostics to help you pinpoint issues and see how search engines view your site. In other words, even if you are not concerned about being visible in search results, GSC is a useful diagnostic tool to have.

Key Features of Google Search Console

Following are the key features if Google Search Console:

• URL Inspection Tool:  Tells you how Google crawls and indexes specific pages. The report shows when it was last crawled and identifies any issues; you can request reindexing when you make changes to those pages.
• Performance Report: Demonstrates how your site is performing in Google Search—clicks, impressions, CTR, and rankings. You can filter by keyword, page, country, or device. Useful for identifying your top-performing pages and pages that may need improvement.
• Sitemaps: You can submit your XML sitemap to speed up how quickly Google finds your pages. It is a simple and effective way to keep your content discoverable.
• Index Coverage: Shows how many pages are indexed and formally alerts you about issues like crawl errors or blocked URLs. Helps bring to your attention any technical issues that might impede your visibility.
• Robots.txt Tester: Tests your robots.txt file so you can see what Googlebot has access to and what it doesn’t. It is easy to accidentally block something important and you will see that in your robots.txt structure.
• Core Web Vitals: Tracks site speed, interactivity, and layout shifts—all metrics associated with user experience. Google uses these metrics in some of its rankings, so it’s definitely useful to have visibility here.
• Removals Tool: Need to remove something from Google quickly? Use the remove temporary removal tool to hide URLs temporarily. Report outdated content or request SafeSearch filtering for sensitive content.
• Mobile Usability: With mobile-first indexing being the standard, this report identifies mobile-related issues—e.g., clickable elements too close to each other or text that is too small and hard to read on a small screen.
• Links Report: Shows who is linking back to your site and how your internal links look. Backlinks are still one of the major factors in Google’s ranking criteria, so this report will help you with your link strategy and outreach.

Benefits of Google Search Console 

Google Search Console offers a solid view into how your site is performing with search wise, indexing issues, security issues, etc.

You can see which pages are getting indexed, you can see the search performance, and figure out how to perform even better organic-wise. With GSC, it is quick, effective, and admittedly, a little overlooked in discovering traffic opportunities.

There are some things like Crawl Stats and Change of Address in the Settings tab that are not often used but could be useful depending on the situation.

That said, GSC does have limits, such as GSC is capped at showing only 16 months of data and you cannot export more than 1,000 rows; however, when it comes to gauging your site’s health in Google Search, it’s pretty much a staple.

How to Set Up Google Search Console (Step-by-Step)

If you want to see how your site is presented on Google and you want to catch problems before they affect your traffic, you need Google Search Console. The tool is free and verification is easy and quick. 

Step 1: Sign in

First, head over to Google Search Console and sign in using your Google Account. If you use Gmail or Google Analytics, use the same account so your accounts stay connected. 

Step 2: Add Your Website

In the Search Console, click “Add property”. Next, you will see two options:

• Domain (includes everything–all subdomains, HTTPS/HTTP, and all URLs associated with your domain)
• URL prefix (will track only the exact URL you enter)

Choose Domain if you want comprehensive coverage. Simply enter your domain and click Continue.

Step 3: Verify You Own the Site

Next, you will need to verify that you own the website. GSC has a few options for you to choose from:

• DNS Verification: You are required to add a TXT record in the DNS setting on your domain (you will find your domain setting in your domain registrar)
• HTML file upload: Download a file and upload it to the root folder of your website
• Meta tag: place a code in the header section of your website
• Or you can verify using Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager if you are already using them. 

Once that portion is complete, you will click Verify. It may take some time to process.

Step 4: Submit Your Sitemap

Sitemaps are significant because they will help Google properly crawl your site. To submit your sitemap in GSC:

• Go to the Sitemaps tab in the GSC menu
• Type your sitemap URL (typically it is somewhere around yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml)
• Click Submit

This tells Google what to index, which helps your content get discovered faster.

Step 5: Explore the Tools

Once your site verification is complete, you can begin accessing data regarding your website. You can: 

• Check your Performance report (clicks, impressions, queries, CTR, etc.).
• Determine which pages that are indexed (Coverage).
• Fix Mobile Usability issues.
• Review the Core Web Vitals (site speed, layout shift, interactivity).
• Investigate the Backlinks and internal links through the Links report.
• Be aware of Security Issues or any Manual Actions (Google penalties). 

Step 6: Keep Checking In

Don’t just set it and forget it. You need to use it to check your crawl stats, monitor indexing and rectify anything that breaks or errors. Combine it with Google Analytics for a full picture of your traffic and site performance.

Related Article: Enhance Your Website with Google Site Kit

How to Use Google Search Console to Improve SEO

Google Search Console is more than a tracking tool—it is one of the most practical sources to help improve your SEO.  Here’s how you can use it and utilize the data to make moves.  

Keep an Eye on Search Performance

Check your clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position under the Performance report.  Look for the keywords or query terms with high impressions but low click-through rate—these are extra special.  You will want to optimize these titles, Meta descriptions, or even URL structure to make them more relevant and alluring to users.  

Keyword Discovery and Content Planning

Work through the Queries section and look for keyword jewels—terms you are already ranking on, but haven’t optimized well enough to make it with a higher ranking.   

Focus on terms sitting in positions 4 to 8. They’re pretty close, and with some extra practice, you can easily roll those into page one results.  This is one of the easiest ways to lift traffic with minimal effort.  

Boost Click-Through Rates (CTR)

Use the data to figure out which pages are not doing great. Rewrite your title to contain a power word, add urgency, or better target the user intent of the search.  

Also, double check that your Meta descriptions actually summarize the page, not simply dump in the keyword lists.  As always, formatting counts and trying to hit the right length too.

Refresh and Improve Old Content

Pages that used to perform but have slipped? GSC tells you which ones. Update the information, add internal links from other pages, and add some FAQs or media. Often all it takes is a quick content update or stronger internal linking to make an impact. 

Monitor Page Experience

Use the Core Web Vitals report to track loading speed and interactivity, as well as layout shifts. Slow page?  Big pictures? Fix them. GSC also highlights mobile usability issues that won’t help rankings in smartphones if they aren’t dealt with.

Technical SEO Using Google Search Console

Google Search Console provides a valuable look into what’s happening with your site from a technical perspective. It’s where you can discover things you often overlook.

Spot and Fix Indexing Problems

Go into the Coverage report and find out which URLs Google cannot index. Oftentimes you’ll find server errors (5xx), soft 404s or pages blocked with a no-index tag. These are critical visibility issues. If you want your content to get discovered in search, cleaning them up is super important!

Keep Tabs on Your Backlink Profile

In the Links section, you can find out who is linking to your site. Backlinks are powerful, especially when they come from reputable domains. However, not all backlinks are good backlinks. If you find spammy, low-quality backlinks, make sure you use Google’s Disavow Tool to remove any meaning they’d offer to your site’s authority.

Submit Sitemaps and Monitor Crawl Status

In Sitemaps, submit your XML sitemap to tell Google the most important pages to crawl first. You’ll be notified if any issues crop up (like unreachable URLs, or outdated entries). Editing your sitemap regularly is good for frequent indexing and makes sure Google gets notified about your changes.

Advanced Tips & Smart Habits for Using Google Search Console

Setting up GSC is just the first step toward realizing its potential. The real potential is over time, and knowing what you could be paying more attention to. GSC will help you see that potential. 

• Reviewing reports on a regular basis is important – the Performance Report, Coverage Report and Core Web Vitals are valuable reports for recognizing trends, and spotting issues in their infancy. 
• You will find that prioritizing your efforts based on impact is necessary. It’s important to fix crawl errors on important landing pages, improve mobile usability on pages where there is the bulk of your traffic, etc. 
• Combine GSC data with other tools like analytics, SEMrush, Ahrefs, etc. GSC allows you to see what happens in search, while you can use analytics to see what occurs after the click. 
• Activate email alerts for Manual Actions or Security Issues, you don’t want the first indication of a problem to come from an upset client. 
• Use the insights of GSC to influence  your strategy over time. Whether that’s revisiting content or deciphering indexing placements, GSC is a valuable tool for ongoing SEO procedures and for sharing what you’ve done with clients or stakeholders. 
• Use GSC not as a one-time tool but instead as your day-to-day SEO dashboard. Engage with it and utilize it on a regular basis and it will keep you ahead of the curve!

Conclusion

Google Search Console is possibly one of the most underappreciated tools in a website owner’s toolkit. Whether you are trying to maintain a blog, manage an ecommerce project, or drive SEO for a business, GSC provides you with the type of data that gives you a deeper understanding of how to stay visible in Google Search. 

It is well beyond clicks and impressions. When used effectively it can expose issues before they negatively impact your website ranking, help identify content gaps, and allow you to make better data driven decisions based on how Google ultimately looks at your site.

If you are serious about growing organic traffic, improving search visibility, or even just ensuring that Google is crawling and indexing your site properly, you really cannot afford to ignore this tool. It provides everything from sitemap submissions, to keyword tracking, mobile usability, and link reports, among others. 

Tools like the Performance Report, Index Coverage, Core Web Vitals, and the URL Inspection Tool are not there for decoration – they can have a dramatic influence on how your webpages are represented in search.

Set it up, keep tabs on it, repair the broken stuff, and optimize the under performing pages. Use GSC in conjunction with your other tools such as Google Analytics, Ahrefs, or SEMrush for a more complete view of what is happening on your site. And if you’re using Shopify, WordPress, or Wix, it doesn’t matter, GSC works with all of those.

Don’t wait until your rankings drop or traffic tanks to pay attention. Make it part of your regular maintenance on your website so you can remain sharp, stay visible, and perhaps the best part, stay ahead. 

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How to use Google Search Console to improve SEO?

You can use Google Search Console to improve SEO  

• Use GSC to upload your sitemap,
• Track indexing issues, 
• Inspect URLs, and check how your pages are doing in Google Search. 
• Dive into keyword data, 
• Monitor performance, 
• Fix errors, and keep tabs on mobile usability, Core Web Vitals, and security. 

It helps you stay on top of what Google sees—and fix what needs fixing.

Is Google Search Console free?

Yes, Google Search Console is absolutely free. There is no paid version of Google Search Console, and you can even link it into other free Google tools, like Google Analytics, without charge. 

Do I need a Gmail account for GSC?

You do need a Google account to access Google Search Console, generally a Gmail or a Google affiliated email, and that is primarily used to verify ownership of your website and to maintain secure management of your website data. 

How to find keywords in Google Search Console?

Using Google Search Console, you can find keywords in the Performance report, which will show the search queries (keywords) that bring visitors to your site, as well as impressions, clicks, click-through rate (CTR), and average position. This will provide insight into which keywords provide traffic you can optimize for. 

How do I start using Google Search Console?

• To set up Google Search Console, you will need to verify ownership of your website. You will do this by adding a verification code or file to your site’s HTML or adding it to your DNS settings. 
• You will then need to add your website as a property in Google Search Console. 
• You can browse the various features, setup alerts for issues, and start monitoring and optimizing your website once your website has been verified.

What’s the difference between GSC and SEMrush?

GSC is a free Google tool that provides real search data. It is focused on organic search traffic coming from Google Search. SEMrush is a paid SEO platform that includes keyword research, competitive tracking, backlink audits, and other features. 

Does Google Search Console track paid traffic?

Yes, the data from Google Search Console is focused on organic search traffic that comes from Google Search. It will not track paid traffic or traffic from other channels, such as social traffic or direct visits

What’s the difference between URL and domain in GSC?

In Google Search Console, a “URL” refers to a specific web page address that you can inspect individually to see how Google indexes and views that page. A “domain” property covers all URLs across all protocols (http, https) and subdomains of your entire domain which is comprehensive and will show you the performance of your whole website in search.

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