Glossary
What is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console is Google's free tool for site owners to see how their site performs in Google Search: queries, clicks, impressions and positions, which pages are indexed and why others aren't, sitemaps, links, manual actions and security issues. It's the most direct source of Google search data for your site.
Main reports
| Report | Use |
|---|---|
| Performance | Queries, pages, clicks, impressions, CTR, position |
| Pages (indexing) | What's indexed and why other pages aren't |
| Sitemaps | Submit sitemaps and see discovered URLs |
| URL Inspection | Check one URL's index status, request indexing |
| Links | Top linking sites and pages, internal links |
| Manual actions | Penalties for spam policy violations |
| Core Web Vitals | Page experience data |
Verifying a site
Add a domain property (verified by a DNS TXT record, covering all subdomains and protocols) or a URL-prefix property (verified by HTML file, meta tag, Google Analytics or Tag Manager).
After launching new pages
- Submit the sitemap.
- Inspect a few key URLs and request indexing.
- Watch the Pages report for "Discovered, currently not indexed" and redirects.
- Check Performance for new queries after a few weeks.
URL Inspection's request indexing has a daily quota, so use it for priority pages.
Example
After publishing directory profiles, we submitted a dedicated sitemap in Search Console. It showed 365 discovered URLs the same day, and we requested indexing for the category hubs first.
FAQ
Is Google Search Console free?
Yes.
How far back does Search Console data go?
Performance data covers the last 16 months.
Is Search Console the same as Google Analytics?
No. Search Console covers Google Search; Analytics covers all on-site behaviour.
Sources
- Google Search Console
- Google Search Console Help: Performance report
- Google Search Console Help: URL Inspection tool