How to use Google Search Console?

What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console (GSC) formerly known as Google webmaster tool is a free platform where you can monitor your website, how google views it and optimize to increase the organic presence.



It includes majorly-

Ø   Referring Domains

Ø   Schema Structure

Ø   Query

Ø   Pages

Ø  Mobile site Performance etc.

I will share some guide here as well which include

Ø  Adding your website and Domain

Ø  User Permission

Ø  XML Sitemap Submission

Ø  Adding Filters

Adding your Website and Domain in Search console- You can use all variation of your website in search console, recently search console update to add a domain along with all variation. So if you will add a domain then it will include data for all variation of that domain.

Below are the steps which you can use to add your website in search console:-

Step- 1 Login in Search console with your professional ID and then click on add Property as per below screenshot

You can add domain as well as URL Prefix, in case of domain adding you need to verify with DNS and you will see the below one

When you will add variation of your domain i.e. www.example.com then you will see below screen

Methods to verify your site in Google Search console:

In case of domain verification you need to add code in DNS record which should be done at server level by team.

Apart from this if you are verifying domain variation linke www.example.com then you can use below method for verification.

HTML Tag – Add a meta tag to your site’s home page as per below instruction

  1. Copythe meta tag below, and paste it into your site’s home page. It should go in the <head> section, before the first <body> section.<meta name=”google-site-verification” content=”kRGyjcY3HrQLeRFqEvNHMHzwFOe18VHphLqsFR18gXY”
  1. Click Verifybelow.

To stay verified, don’t remove the meta tag, even after verification succeeds.

For more details click on https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9008080#meta_tag_verification

Google Analytics – Use your Google Analytics account

  1. You must be using thegtag.js tracking code.
  2. Your tracking code should be in the<head>section of your page.
  3. You must have the “edit” permission for the Google Analytics property.

The Google Analytics tracking code is used only to verify site ownership. No Google Analytics data will be accessed.

For more details click on https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9008080#google_analytics_verification




Google Tag Manager – Use your Google Tag Manager account

  1. You must be using thecontainer snippet.
  2. You must have the “manage” permission for the Tag Manager container.

The Google Tag Manager container ID is used only to verify site ownership. No Google Tag Manager data will be accessed.

For details information please visit at https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9008080#google_tag_manager_verification

Domain name provider – Associate a DNS record with Google

  1. Sign in to your domain name provider (e.g. godaddy.comor namecheap.com)
  2. Copy the TXT record below into the DNS configuration for example.com

google-site-verification=m6fkys7RRo7CEt2TCQ_SaxxrC67Q9Q5phjO0X50I0EI

  1. Press verifybelow

Note: DNS changes may take some time to apply. If Search Console doesn’t find the record immediately, wait a day and then try to verify again

For more details please click on https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9008080#domain_name_verification

User Permission-

You can share Google search console access for any user which is registered with Google. When you will click on add user you will see two option there

Ø  Full

Ø  Restricted

See below screen

You need to use email address and click on add.

XML Sitemap submission-

For better understanding you should prepare your xml sitemap and submit it in Google search console. You need to use below step to submit your xml sitemap in search console

Step-1 Login to GSC

Step-2 click on Sitemap and you will see below screen

Once you will click on submit you will see the status of submission and all status for all url which has mentioned in Search console.

Below is the screen which you will see when you will check XML status

You can check here all error can take a step ahead to resolve them.

Adding Filters – You can use different-2 filters to check your data. See below screen where you can filter data

In second option we can compare data

You can filter data as per date range also as per below screen

Step to use of Google Search Console – I am sharing some reports which you can use to see the website performance in Google.

Ø  Identify the pages which generate highest traffic

Ø  Top 10 CTR Queries

Ø  What is your average CTR?

Ø  Overall impression

Ø  Average position for your search queries

Ø  Sire performance for devices (Desktop, Mobile & Tablet)

Ø  Countries from we are getting highest traffic

Ø  Number of pages index

Ø  No if errors pages and type of error

Ø  Check which page has not index and reason for the same

Ø  Check is there any mobile usability issue

Ø  Number of total backlinks

Ø  Identify top 5 sites which link you most

Ø  Top 10 most popular anchor links for external links

Ø  Pages have most internal linking

Ø  Number of internal links your website have

Ø  Schema Error (if any)

Ø  Check if there is any manual action for your website

Ø  Check is there any security issue for your website

Hope this blog give you better idea for search console, in my next post i will share step which you can use to show all reports in search console.