Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that allows website owners and webmasters to monitor, maintain and optimize their website's performance in Google search results. The tool provides valuable insights into how Google crawls and indexes websites, how users interact with the website, and how the website ranks in search results.
Google Search Console was formerly known as Google Webmaster Tools and was launched in 2006. The tool has undergone several changes over the years, and the current version provides website owners with a range of features and functionalities to improve their website's visibility in search results.
One of the primary benefits of using Google Search Console is that it allows website owners to monitor the search performance of their websites. This includes the number of clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and average position of the website in search results. These metrics provide valuable insights into how users interact with the website and how it performs in search results.
The tool also provides website owners with detailed information about the website's crawl status. This includes information on any crawl errors, blocked pages, or any other issues that may be preventing Google from properly indexing the website. By identifying and fixing these issues, website owners can ensure that their website is fully optimized for search engines.
Another key feature of Google Search Console is its ability to identify any security issues on the website. The tool can alert website owners to any malware, phishing, or other security threats on the website. This is particularly important for e-commerce websites, where users are providing sensitive information such as credit card details.
Google Search Console also provides website owners with a range of tools to optimize their website's performance in search results. For example, the tool provides detailed information about the website's backlinks, allowing website owners to identify any low-quality or spammy backlinks that may be affecting the website's ranking in search results.
The tool also provides website owners with the ability to submit sitemaps, which allows Google to better understand the structure of the website and to crawl and index the website more effectively. Website owners can also use the tool to set up and monitor structured data, which can help to improve the website's visibility in search results.
In addition, Google Search Console provides website owners with a range of diagnostic tools to help them identify and fix any issues with their websites. These tools include the mobile usability report, which highlights any issues with the website's mobile responsiveness, and the page speed report, which provides insights into how quickly the website loads.
Overall, Google Search Console is an essential tool for any website owner or webmaster looking to optimize their website's performance in search results. The tool provides valuable insights into how Google crawls and indexes websites, how users interact with the website, and how the website ranks in search results. By using Google Search Console, website owners can identify and fix any issues with their website, improve their website's visibility in search results, and ultimately drive more traffic to their website.
Google Search Console Resources :
To begin, you will need a Google account, after which you can easily authenticate your websites. About two to three days after you validate your websites, you should begin to receive information on how well you performed in the Google search results. The Google Search Console can be found here. Further details about starting and certifying your website can be found below. In the course of the article, I'll also occasionally refer to this tool as "GSC." The use of Google Search Console to enhance your SEO is covered in this guide.
Open Search Console and log in using your Google account. You'll see a pop-up requesting you to add a property the first time you log in (i.e., your website). In this case, you have two choices: include a domain or URL prefix.
Add a Domain Property: Adding a domain property will provide you with the most thorough overview of the data on your website. All protocols, subdomains, and pathways are included in the data you receive from all URLs under the domain name. This method of adding a property requires you to confirm it with your DNS (domain name system) provider.
How it goes is as follows: Then, enter your domain (without HTTP/HTTPS or www) in the "Domain" box. Suppose your website's domain address is "https://www.yoursite.com." Click "CONTINUE" after typing "yoursite.com" in the space provided. The TXT record from the instructions dialogue box should then be copied. Log in to your domain registrar account in a new tab. We'll utilize GoDaddy as our domain registrar for this example. After logging in, click the nine dots in the navigation bar next to your company name to view your DNS settings.
You ought to be in the DNS Administration window at this point. By selecting "Add" in the DNS Records section, you can add a new TXT record.
It will display a form. Complete it as follows:
Name: @ Type: TXT
Value: [Paste the Google Search Console TXT record]
TTL: one-hour
When finished, select "Add record." Return to Search Console now and select "Verify." At first, you might get a notice that reads, "Ownership verification failed." So if the verification doesn't operate right away, don't panic. The updating of DNS records can take anywhere between a few hours and 48 hours. After at least an hour, select your website from the list of properties and repeat the verification process once more. You'll see a confirmation message after the verification process is successful.
Include A URL Prefix Property: When you want to access data for just a portion of your site, adding your site with the "URL prefix" option makes sense. Taking your blog as an example. Put your URL in the "URL prefix" box to start. Next, select "CONTINUE." Use "https://www.yoursite.com/blog/" in this instance.
For a URL prefix, Google accepts various types of verification:
The HTML file section will expand when you click "HTML file," and the button to download the file will be located there.
Download your HTML verification file, and then upload it to the website you want to verify's root directory (or the directory at the top of the site structure). For instance, if you wish to check "www.yourwebsite.com," your homepage is in the root directory. The root directory can be found by verifying "www.yourwebsite.com/blog/," which is "/blog/." You would upload the file in this scenario to "/blog/." Also, all of its descendant directories will undergo verification. Click "VERIFY" in Search Console once you've finished this step. You might need to wait for changes to take effect, much like when adding a domain property. Go return later and select the unverified property if you are unable to verify your site right away. GSC will attempt to validate you immediately.
In a Search Console account, you can either be the owner or a user. Your access rights, or permissions, are based on your role.
Let's talk about the many categories of owners and users, as well as their privileges:
In Search Console, an owner has complete authority over the property. A user with owner rights has access to all tools in Search Console, can add or remove other users, examine all data, and adjust settings.
Owners might be of two different types. The permissions are also shared by both of them.
GSC is still accessible to users. Nonetheless, they have fewer rights than owners have.
Adding new users and granting rights is possible if you are the property owner.
Adding a sitemap to Google Search Console can help improve the visibility and indexing of your website's pages on Google search results. To do this, start by accessing the Google Search Console dashboard and selecting the website you want to add the sitemap for. Next, click on the "Sitemaps" tab and enter the URL of your sitemap in the provided field. Verify that the sitemap is correct and contains all the pages you want to be indexed, then click "Submit." Google will now crawl your sitemap and index the pages it contains. Keep in mind that it may take some time for all pages to be indexed.
Google Search Console offers a range of reports and features to help website owners understand how their site is performing on Google search results. The Performance report shows data on clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and average position for individual pages and queries. The Index Coverage report provides information on which pages are indexed and any indexing errors. For website owners and SEO specialists wanting to improve their websites for better search engine performance, the URL Inspection Tool is a crucial tool. Other features include the Mobile Usability report, which shows how your site performs on mobile devices, and the Security Issues report, which identifies any security issues on your site. These reports and features can help you optimize your website for better search engine visibility.
Google's URL Inspection tool is a powerful feature of Google Search Console that provides website owners with detailed information about how Google crawls and indexes individual URLs on their websites. The tool allows you to inspect a specific URL and see its status, indexability, and any issues that may be preventing it from appearing in search results.
To access the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console, log in to your account and select the website you want to analyze. From the dashboard, click on the "URL Inspection" menu, and enter the URL you want to inspect. The tool will show you the current status of the URL, including whether it is indexed, any crawl errors, and any issues that may be affecting its visibility on search results. You can also use the tool to request indexing for a specific URL, which can help improve its visibility on Google search results. For website owners and SEO specialists wanting to improve their websites for better search engine efficiency, the URL Inspection Tool is a crucial tool.
The Page Indexing report in Google Search Console provides information about which pages on your website have been indexed by Google. It allows you to see how many pages have been indexed over time and which ones are currently not indexed. Such analysis can help website owners identify any indexing issues so they can address them and improve their website's visibility in search results.
To access the Page Indexing report in Google Search Console, log in to your account and select the website you want to analyze. From the dashboard, click on the "Index" menu and select "Coverage". This will bring up the Page Indexing report, which shows you how many pages on your website have been indexed by Google. You can also use the report to check for any crawl errors, duplicate content, or missing pages that may be affecting your website's visibility on search results. The Page Indexing report is an essential tool for website owners and SEO professionals looking to optimize their websites for better search engine performance.
The Sitemaps report in Google Search Console provides information about the status of submitted sitemaps, including how many URLs have been submitted and indexed. It also allows website owners and SEO professionals to submit new sitemaps and identify any errors that may be affecting the processing of their sitemaps.
To access the Sitemaps report in Google Search Console, log in to your account and select the website you want to analyze. From the dashboard, click on the "Sitemaps" menu under "Index". This will bring up the Sitemaps report, which shows you the status of your submitted sitemaps. You can use this report to see which sitemaps have been processed, how many URLs have been submitted, and how many have been indexed. You can also submit new sitemaps and see any errors that may be affecting the processing of your sitemap. The Sitemaps report is an essential tool for website owners and SEO professionals looking to improve their website's visibility on search results.
The Page Experience Report is a tool provided by Google Search Console that helps website owners and developers understand the user experience of their websites. The report measures a variety of factors related to page speed, mobile-friendliness, and other user-centric metrics that can impact the overall experience of website visitors.
To access the Page Experience Report, you can follow these steps:
The Enhancements Report provides a comprehensive list of recommended improvements to help you enhance your website's search results appearance and performance. It is an excellent tool for optimizing your website's structured data and fixing any issues that may be impacting your website's search engine ranking.
To access the Enhancements Report in Google Search Console, follow these steps:
The Manual Actions Report provides information on any manual actions taken by Google against your website due to a violation of Google's webmaster guidelines. It is essential to regularly check this report to ensure that your website complies with the guidelines and avoid any penalties or negative impacts on your website's search engine ranking.
To access the Manual Actions Report in Google Search Console, follow these steps:
The Links Report provides important information about the links pointing to your website. It is an essential tool for analyzing your website's backlink profile and identifying opportunities to improve your website's search engine ranking.
By analyzing the external and internal links pointing to your website, you can identify any potential spammy or low-quality links and take steps to remove them. You can also identify high-quality links and use this information to build more quality links to your website.
To access the Links Report in Google Search Console, follow these steps:
Overall, the Links Report is an essential tool for any website owner or SEO professional looking to improve their website's search engine ranking and increase their online visibility.
The Shopping Report provides information on any issues related to your Google Merchant Center account or product data. It is an essential tool for e-commerce website owners who use Google Shopping ads to promote their products.
To access the Shopping Report in Google Search Console, follow these steps:
The AMP Report provides information on any issues related to your Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). It is an essential tool for website owners who use AMP to improve their website's mobile user experience.
To access the AMP Report in Google Search Console, follow these steps:
