Unlock the Power of Google Search Console: A Beginner's Guide

Setting up Google Search Console is a must-do for anyone who owns a website and wants to know how well it does on Google’s search engine. In this article, we’ll show you how to set up Google Search Console and how to get the most out of it.

Why is Google Search Console Important?

Google Search Console gives website owners important information about how their site is doing on Google’s search engine. 

When website owners use this tool, they can:

Monitor website performance: Google Search Console tells website owners how many people are visiting their site, which pages are being looked at, and how long people stay on the site.

Identify technical issues: Google Search Console can help website owners find technical problems that might be hurting their site’s performance on Google’s search engine.

Improve search engine rankings: Website owners can improve their search engine rankings and make their sites more visible on Google’s search engine by using Google Search Console data to find problems and make fixes.

How to Set Up Google Search Console

Setting up Google Search Console is a fairly straightforward process that involves the following steps:

Step 1: Go to Google Search Console by typing https://search.google.com/search-console/ into your web browser.

Step 2: Login using the same details you use to access your Google Analytics account, or create a new Google account if you don’t already have one. Once you’re logged in, click the “Start Now” button.

Google Search Console Start Now Page - Digital Junction Beginners Guide

Step 3: Click the “Add Property” button at the top of the page on the left-hand side.

Google Search Console add property digital junction UAE beginner guide to SEO

Step 4: Enter the URL or domain of your website in the field provided, then click “Continue”. Make sure to exclude the “http(s)://” and “www” from your domain name.

Add URL to Google Search Console - Digital Junction Beginners Guide

Step 4: Enter the URL or domain of your website in the field provided, then click “Continue”. Make sure to exclude the “http(s)://” and “www” from your domain name.

Verify that you own the website by selecting one of the four verification methods.

Verifying your URL in Google Search Console is important because it proves that you own the website and gives you access to useful information about how your site is doing on Google’s search engine. You can see important metrics like search queries, click-through rates, and impressions by verifying your URL. 

This information can help you figure out what’s wrong with your site’s performance and fix it so that it’s easier to find and ranks higher in search engines. Verifying your URL also lets you submit sitemaps and individual URLs for crawling. 

This makes sure that Google is indexing your content. Without verification, you won’t have access to these important tools and insights, and your website may not be as visible or successful on Google’s search engine.

If you have access to Google Analytics, the quickest and easiest method is to use your Google Analytics tracking ID. Alternatively, you can upload an HTML file to your website’s root directory, verify via your hosting provider, or verify via Google Tag Manager.

Once you’ve successfully set up your Google Search Console account, it’s important to submit an XML sitemap to help Google find and index your website’s content. 

Here’s how to do it:

  • Create an XML sitemap by using a plugin like Yoast SEO if you’re using WordPress, or an online sitemap generator if you’re not.
  • Once you have a sitemap, upload it to the root directory of your website.
  • In the Google Search Console dashboard, go to the “Sitemaps” section in the left-hand menu.
  • Click “Add a new sitemap” and enter the URL of your sitemap, then click “Submit”.
 

It may take a few days for your sitemap to be crawled, but once it is, you’ll be able to see valuable data about your website’s performance in Google Search Console.

Understanding Google Search Console Reports

Once you’ve set up Google Search Console, you can start looking at the different reports and features to learn more about how your website is doing on Google’s search engine.

Here are some of the most important reports and features:

Performance Report: This report tells you how many clicks, impressions, and click-through rates (CTR) Google’s search engine has sent to your website. You can use this report to figure out which pages on your site are doing well and which ones could use some work.

Coverage Report: This report shows you any errors or problems that Google found on your website while it was crawling it. You can use this report to find out if your website’s search engine rankings are being hurt by technical problems.

Sitemap Report: This report shows you which pages of your website have been sent to Google’s search engine via a sitemap. You can use this report to make sure that Google is properly indexing all of the pages on your site.

URL Inspection Tool: You can check the status of each URL on your website with this tool. You can use this tool to make sure that Google is indexing the right pages on your site.

Mobile Usability Report: This report tells you about any problems Google found when it crawled your site on mobile devices. You can use this report to make sure that your website works well on mobile devices and is easy for everyone to find.

Conclusion

Setting up Google Search Console is one of the most important things you can do to improve the performance of your website online. By verifying your site, submitting sitemaps, keeping an eye on search analytics, and fixing any errors or problems, you can make your website more visible on Google and improve your search engine rankings. 

Google Search Console also gives you useful information about how well your website is doing, which can help you make smart decisions about your online presence. At the end of the day, putting time and effort into Google Search Console can pay off in the form of more website traffic, better search rankings, and a stronger online presence. 

So, why don’t you just do it? Follow the steps in this guide to set up Google Search Console and start optimising your website right away.

Visit this page if you want to learn more about how we can help you to get more people to visit your website.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cameron Becker

Is an MSc Digital Marketing student who consults with businesses and individuals across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. He has 8+ years of experience in digital marketing and marketing automation.

GET A FREE CONSULTATION

+971585082250

Ready to take your business to the next level? Contact us today to schedule a consultation and let our experts help you achieve your digital goals!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *