Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows you how your website appears in search results: which queries bring visitors, which pages Google has indexed, and what errors are holding your site back. If you run a website and have not set it up, you are working blind. Every SEO task I do for a site starts here, because it is the only place Google tells you directly what it thinks of your website.

This guide walks through setting up Search Console step by step, verifying your site, and reading the reports that matter, so you can check your website's health without needing an SEO agency.

What Google Search Console Does

Search Console is Google's direct line to website owners. It tells you which search terms trigger your pages, how often people click them, whether Google can crawl and index your pages, and whether it has found problems such as broken pages, slow loading or mobile display issues. It does not show everything — it only reports data from Google Search — but what it shows comes from Google itself, which makes it more reliable than any third-party estimate.

It is free, and it is separate from Google Analytics. Analytics tells you what visitors do on your site; Search Console tells you how they found it. You need both, but start with Search Console.

Setting It Up, Step by Step

Step 1: Add your property

Go to search.google.com/search-console and sign in with a Google account. Click "Add property" and choose the Domain option, which covers your whole domain including subdomains, or the URL-prefix option for one exact address. For most small sites, the Domain option is the better choice because it captures everything.

Step 2: Verify you own the site

Google needs proof that the site is yours. For a domain property, it asks you to add a small TXT record to your domain's DNS settings — your domain provider's control panel has a DNS section where this goes. For a URL-prefix property, you can verify by uploading an HTML file to your site, adding a tag to your homepage, or through Google Analytics if that is already installed. DNS verification is the most reliable method, and it only takes a few minutes once you find the right settings page.

Step 3: Submit your sitemap

Once verified, go to Sitemaps in the left menu and submit your sitemap address — usually yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml. A sitemap is a list of your pages that tells Google what exists on your site. Most content systems, including WordPress and Botble, generate one automatically; if yours does not, ask your developer or check your CMS documentation.

Step 4: Wait for data

Search Console does not show historical data from before you set it up. Give it a few days to collect clicks, impressions and indexing information, then come back and start reading the reports.

The Reports That Matter Most

Performance: what brings you traffic

The Performance report shows total clicks, total impressions, average position and the click-through rate for your site. Below that, switch between Queries, Pages, Countries and Devices. The Queries tab is the most useful: it shows the exact search terms your pages appear for. Look for queries where you rank between positions 5 and 15 — these are your quickest wins, because a small improvement can push them onto page one. This report is also the starting point for keyword research on a live site.

Indexing: what Google has, and what it has not

The Pages report under Indexing shows how many of your pages Google has indexed and how many it has not, with reasons for the excluded ones. Common reasons include pages blocked by your robots.txt file, duplicate pages, and pages that return errors. Work through the errors first — a page Google has not indexed cannot rank at all.

Experience: speed and mobile-friendliness

The Experience section reports on Core Web Vitals, which measure how fast your pages load and how stable they feel while loading, and on mobile usability. A page that is hard to use on a phone will struggle in search results, because most searches now happen on mobile. Fix the worst pages first, starting with the ones that already get traffic.

Enhancements and security

If your site has structured data, the Enhancements reports show whether Google can read it. The Security section warns you if Google has detected hacking or malware. Check both occasionally — a security warning here is something you want to know about immediately, not months later.

A Simple Monthly Health Check

Once Search Console is running, a short monthly routine keeps your site healthy:

• Check the Performance report: note your top queries and pages, and look for any sudden drops in clicks.
• Review indexing errors: fix any new errors, and request indexing for important new pages.
• Look at the queries you appear for but do not target: if a page ranks for a query it was never written for, consider updating it to answer that query properly.
• Check Core Web Vitals: if a group of pages turns red, prioritise them for speed work.
• Watch for manual actions and security issues: these are rare, but Search Console is where Google tells you about them.

If this check turns up technical problems you want to work through systematically, my technical SEO audit checklist walks through a full site review. And once your pages are being found, make sure the pages themselves are doing their job — my on-page SEO checklist covers titles, headings and internal links.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Search Console really free?

Yes, completely free. You only need a Google account and a website you own or manage.

How long does it take for data to appear?

Usually a few days after verification. Indexing data appears first; click and impression data builds up over the following days and weeks.

Why does Search Console show fewer clicks than Google Analytics shows visitors?

They measure different things. Search Console counts clicks from Google Search only; Analytics counts all visitors, including those from social media, direct visits and other search engines. The numbers will not match, and that is normal.

What should I do if a page is not indexed?

First check the reason in the Pages report. If the page is genuinely important, make sure it is linked from somewhere on your site, is not blocked by robots.txt, and returns a proper 200 status. Then use the "Request indexing" option on the URL Inspection tool.

Set It Up Today, Check It Monthly

Setting up Google Search Console takes less than half an hour, and it is the single most useful free tool for anyone who runs a website. It tells you what Google sees, which pages are working, and what is broken — information you cannot get anywhere else. Set it up today, give it a few days to gather data, and make the monthly health check a habit. Your future SEO decisions will be based on evidence instead of guesswork.