If you have a website, Google Search Console is the most useful free tool you are probably not using. It is Google telling you, directly, how it sees your site: what people searched before they found you, which pages Google has indexed, and what is stopping others from appearing.
This Google Search Console for beginners guide skips the jargon. It covers setting up, the four reports that matter for a local business, and what to do with what you find. Allow an hour for set-up and fifteen minutes a month after that.
Setting up: domain or URL-prefix property
When you add your site, Search Console asks you to choose a property type. A domain property covers every version of your site: with and without www, http and https, and any subdomains. A URL-prefix property covers only the exact address you type in.
- Go to search.google.com/search-console and sign in with a Google account the business controls.
- Choose Domain, enter your domain (for example yourbusiness.co.uk) and continue.
- Google gives you a TXT record. Log in to wherever your domain is managed, add the record to your DNS settings, and save.
- Return to Search Console and click Verify. DNS changes can take a little while to take effect, so try again later if it fails at first.
- Add a second trusted person as a user under Settings, then Users and permissions.
| Domain property | URL-prefix property | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | All versions and subdomains | Only the exact address and protocol entered |
| Verification | DNS record at your domain provider | Several options, including an HTML tag or file, or Google Analytics |
| Best for | Most businesses, if you can edit DNS | When you cannot access DNS settings |
Submit your sitemap
A sitemap is a file that lists the pages on your site. Most website platforms create one automatically, often at yourbusiness.co.uk/sitemap.xml. Google says sitemaps help it discover pages, especially on new sites or sites with few links, though they do not guarantee every page will be indexed.
In Search Console, open Sitemaps in the left menu, enter the sitemap address and submit. The status should show Success after Google has read it.
The Performance report: what people search
Open Performance, then Search results. This is the report you will use most. It shows four numbers over the time period you choose.
- Queries tab: the searches that showed your site. Look for services and towns you expected, and ones you did not.
- Pages tab: which pages get impressions and clicks.
- Countries and Devices tabs: useful for checking most visitors are local and on mobile.
- Use the date filter to compare the last three months with the previous three months.
- Search Console keeps up to 16 months of performance data, so check it regularly rather than relying on history.
| Measure | What it means | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Total clicks | How many times someone clicked through to your site from Google | The best single measure of search traffic |
| Total impressions | How many times your site appeared in results someone saw | Rising impressions show growing visibility |
| Average CTR | Clicks divided by impressions | Low CTR on a page suggests the title or description needs work |
| Average position | Your average ranking position in results | Useful for trends, not as an exact rank |
The Pages report: what Google has indexed
Under Indexing, then Pages, Search Console shows how many of your pages are indexed and lists the reasons others are not. Some reasons are normal and fine, such as a page that redirects, or a duplicate Google has sensibly chosen to ignore. Others need attention.
- 'Excluded by noindex tag': fine for thank-you pages and admin pages; a problem if it is one of your service pages.
- 'Not found (404)': an old or broken address. Redirect it to the closest current page if it used to have visitors or links.
- 'Crawled - currently not indexed': Google has seen the page but chosen not to index it yet. Often a sign the page is thin or too similar to another.
- 'Discovered - currently not indexed': Google knows the page exists but has not crawled it yet. Common on new sites; internal links and time help.
- 'Blocked by robots.txt': check that this is intentional.
URL Inspection and the other reports worth a glance
Paste any address from your site into the search bar at the top of Search Console. URL Inspection tells you whether the page is indexed, when Google last crawled it, whether it can be indexed, and which version Google considers the main one.
If you have just published or updated an important page, use Request indexing. It does not guarantee indexing or a faster ranking, and there is a limit on how many requests you can make, so use it for pages that matter rather than every small edit.
- Core Web Vitals: groups your pages by loading speed, responsiveness and visual stability, based on real users where there is enough data.
- HTTPS: confirms your pages are served securely.
- Links: which sites link to yours and which of your pages get the most links.
- Manual actions: should say no issues detected. If not, Google has taken action against the site for a policy breach and explains what.
- Security issues: should also be empty. Anything here needs fixing urgently.
- Enhancements: shows structured data Google has found, such as breadcrumbs, and any errors in it.
Finding quick wins, and common beginner worries
Once you have a few months of data, Search Console becomes a to-do list. In the Performance report, turn on all four measures, open the Queries tab and sort by impressions. Look for searches where your average position is between about 5 and 20: you are close, and improvements to the right page may move you onto page one or up it.
Then open the Pages tab and find pages with plenty of impressions but a low click-through rate. People see them but do not choose them. The fix is often a clearer page title and meta description that says exactly what the page offers and where, such as 'Same-day boiler repair in Exeter | Engineer on site today' instead of 'Services'.
Finally, look for queries that match a service you offer but have no page for. If people are finding you for 'gel nail removal' via a general treatments page, a dedicated page may serve them better.
- Average position looks bad: it is averaged across every search you appeared for, including ones you would never expect to win. Filter by query to see what matters.
- Numbers dropped suddenly: check the date range and compare like with like, such as this August against last August, because many local businesses are seasonal.
- Lots of pages not indexed: many exclusions are normal. Worry only about pages you want customers to find.
- Search Console and Analytics disagree: they measure different things in different ways, so the numbers will never match exactly.
A fifteen-minute monthly check
- Performance: compare the last 28 days with the previous period. Are clicks and impressions stable or rising?
- Queries: note any new searches you appear for. Could any become a page or FAQ?
- Pages: are any important pages now showing as not indexed?
- Manual actions and Security issues: both should be empty.
- Emails: Search Console emails you about serious problems, so make sure those emails go to an inbox someone reads.
Search Console does not do SEO for you, but it tells you where to look. Every Nerdsharks website is set up with Search Console verified and a sitemap submitted, and we add you as an owner so the data is always yours.