Google Search Console is free, it’s Google’s own data about your site, and most small business owners set it up once and never open it again. That’s a waste, because it’s the quickest place to find pages that are nearly ranking.
Last updated: 25 October 2026 · By Alan Spicer, YouTube Certified Expert
Part of the Website SEO series.
You only need four reports in Search Console: Performance, Pages, URL Inspection and Sitemaps. This guide shows what each one tells you and the weekly ten-minute routine I use to turn them into more clicks.
Why listen to me? I’ve been a YouTube Certified Expert since 2017 and self-employed for 20 years, running my own websites and SEO content builds for clients. Search Console is the first thing I check on any site, before any paid tool.
Jump to a section
- What is Google Search Console?
- How do I set up Google Search Console?
- How do I read the Performance report?
- How do I check which pages are indexed?
- How do I request indexing in Search Console?
- How do I add a user to Search Console?
- Search Console vs Semrush: which do you need?
- People also ask
- Frequently asked questions
⚡ QUICK ANSWER: How do I use Google Search Console?
Verify your website, submit your sitemap, then check four reports. Performance shows the searches, clicks and positions for your pages. Pages shows what’s indexed and why anything isn’t. URL Inspection checks a single page and requests indexing. Sitemaps confirms Google can read your page list.
What is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows how your website performs in Google Search. It tells you which searches your pages appear for, how many people click, your average position, which pages are indexed, and any technical problems Google finds. Paid tools estimate this data; Search Console reports it directly from Google.
It doesn’t show other people’s websites. For competitor research you need a tool like Semrush (my Semrush review covers it). For your own site, Search Console is the source of truth, and the two work best side by side.
Google also counts clicks and impressions from its AI features, such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, inside the normal Performance report under the “Web” search type, so you don’t need a separate tool to see whether your pages are cited there.
How do I set up Google Search Console?
Set up Search Console by adding your site as a property and proving you own it. It takes about ten minutes if you can log in to your domain registrar or your website’s admin area.
- Sign in and add a property. Go to search.google.com/search-console, sign in with your Google account and click Add property.
- Choose Domain or URL prefix. A Domain property covers every version of your site and is verified with a DNS TXT record. A URL-prefix property covers one version and can be verified with an HTML tag or file.
- Verify ownership. Add the TXT record at your registrar, or paste the HTML tag into your SEO plugin, then click Verify. DNS changes can take a little while to show.
- Submit your sitemap. Open Sitemaps in the left menu, enter your sitemap address (for example sitemap_index.xml on WordPress with Yoast) and click Submit.
- Wait for data. The Performance report fills over the following days. Indexing data appears as Google crawls your site.
If you already set up the site but can’t remember the login, ask whoever built the site. They can add you as an owner from Settings, then Users and permissions.
How do I read the Performance report?
The Performance report shows four numbers for your site: total clicks, total impressions, average click-through rate (CTR) and average position. Underneath, tabs break those numbers down by query, page, country, device and date. It’s where you find out what people searched before they landed on your site.
| Metric | What it means | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks | People who clicked through to your site from Google | Rising over time |
| Impressions | Times one of your pages appeared in results | Pages with high impressions and few clicks |
| CTR | Clicks divided by impressions | Low CTR on page one usually means a weak title |
| Average position | Your average ranking for that query or page | Positions 5 to 20 are your best quick wins |
Metric definitions from Search Console Help.
Click the Queries tab, tick all four metrics, and sort by impressions. Any query where you sit between positions 5 and 20 with decent impressions is a page that’s close. A better title, a clearer answer near the top, and a few internal links often push it up a page.
**My weekly ten-minute routine:** open Performance, set the date to the last 28 days compared with the previous 28, sort queries by impressions, and pick one page sitting in positions 5 to 20. Improve that page’s title and opening answer, add two internal links to it, and request indexing. One page a week adds up.
How do I check which pages are indexed?
The Pages report (under Indexing) shows how many of your pages are indexed and lists every page that isn’t, with the reason. Fix the reasons you can control and ignore the ones that are working as intended, like redirects or pages you’ve deliberately set to noindex.
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Crawled, currently not indexed | Google visited and chose not to index | Improve or merge thin pages |
| Discovered, currently not indexed | Google knows the URL but hasn’t crawled it | Add internal links and wait |
| Excluded by noindex tag | A tag tells Google to skip the page | Remove it if the page should rank |
| Page with redirect | The URL redirects elsewhere | Usually fine |
| Not found (404) | The page doesn’t exist | Redirect it if it used to get traffic |
| Duplicate without user-selected canonical | Google sees it as a copy of another page | Set a canonical or merge |
How do I request indexing in Search Console?
Paste a page’s URL into the inspection bar at the top of Search Console, wait for the result, then click Request indexing. Google adds the page to its crawl queue. It’s the fastest way to get a new or updated page looked at, but it doesn’t guarantee indexing.
Google applies a quota to these requests and says asking repeatedly for the same URL won’t make it crawl faster. You also need to be an owner or full user of the property. Use it for new pages and important updates, and let the sitemap handle the rest. If you’re launching a brand-new site, my guide to getting your website on Google walks through the full order.
Search Console full of errors you don’t understand?
I’ll go through it with you on a free call, explain what matters and what doesn’t, and give you a short fix list.
- Pages aren’t getting indexed
- Clicks have dropped and you don’t know why
- You want a content plan built from your own search data
How do I add a user to Search Console?
Go to Settings, then Users and permissions, click Add user, enter their Google account email and choose Full or Restricted access. Owners can add and remove users; full users can see all data and take most actions; restricted users can only view most data.
Give agencies and freelancers Full access rather than ownership. If they leave, you remove them and keep control of your site. If you only own a URL-prefix property, consider adding a Domain property too so you’re covered for every version of your address.
Search Console vs Semrush: which do you need?
You need Search Console for every website, because it’s free and it’s Google’s own data. Add a paid tool like Semrush when you want to research keywords you don’t rank for yet, look at competitors, track rankings daily or audit the site in depth.
| Job | Google Search Console | Semrush |
|---|---|---|
| Your real clicks and queries | Yes, exact | Connects to Search Console |
| Keywords you don’t rank for yet | No | Yes |
| Competitor traffic and keywords | No | Yes |
| Daily rank tracking | No | Yes |
| Indexing problems | Yes | Partly, via Site Audit |
| AI visibility tracking | Clicks only, mixed into Web | Yes, on Semrush One |
| Price | Free | From $139 a month, 7-day free trial |
Sources: Search Console Help and Semrush pricing page, checked 20 October 2026.
You can connect Search Console to Semrush so your real data sits next to the research. If you want to test that, my guide to the Semrush free trial includes a 7-day plan.
Affiliate link: if you start a trial or subscribe through it, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The trial lasts 7 days and you can cancel before it ends.
People also ask
Is Google Search Console free?
Yes. Google Search Console is completely free for any website owner. You only need a Google account and the ability to verify that you own the site.
How long does Search Console take to show data?
Performance data starts appearing within a few days of verifying your site. Indexing information builds up as Google crawls your pages, which can take a few days to a few weeks for a new site.
What’s the difference between Search Console and Google Analytics?
Search Console shows what happens on Google before someone clicks: searches, impressions, rankings and clicks. Google Analytics shows what people do after they arrive on your site.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Search Console show different numbers from Google Analytics?
They measure different things. Search Console counts clicks from Google Search, while Analytics counts sessions from every source and can miss visits blocked by cookie banners. Expect them to differ.
How far back does Search Console data go?
The Performance report shows up to 16 months of data. Export it regularly if you want a longer history for year-on-year comparisons.
What is a good CTR in Search Console?
It depends on position and the search. A page in position one usually earns far more clicks than a page in position eight. Compare CTR between your own pages at similar positions to find weak titles.
Can I see AI Overviews traffic in Search Console?
Google includes clicks and impressions from AI features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode in the Performance report under the Web search type. It doesn’t currently split them out as a separate line.
Should I verify www and non-www separately?
Not if you use a Domain property. A Domain property covers every subdomain and both http and https, so it’s the simplest setup.
What does average position mean?
Average position is the mean ranking of your page across every search it appeared for. A page can rank first for one query and fortieth for another, so look at positions query by query.
How do I remove a page from Google with Search Console?
Use the Removals tool for a fast, temporary removal, then delete the page, add a noindex tag or block it properly so it stays out of results permanently.
About the author
Alan Spicer has been a YouTube Certified Expert since 2017 and creating on YouTube since 2012. He holds six YouTube Silver Play Buttons, has coached 500+ creators and run 500+ channel audits, and spent 2020–2021 on the vidIQ customer success team. After 20 years self-employed, he runs his consultancy and his own content sites from Huddersfield, usually fuelled by tea. Read client results.
Related reading
Want me to read your Search Console with you?
Most sites have three or four quick wins hiding in the Performance report. On a free call I’ll find them with you and show you what to change. I’m a YouTube Certified Expert with six Silver Play Buttons, 500+ channel audits and 20 years of running my own online businesses behind me.
Sources
- Search Console Help: About Search Console
- Google Search Central: Ask Google to recrawl your URLs
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website
Affiliate disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you start a Semrush trial or subscription through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I’d use myself, and programme terms and prices change, so check the current details on Semrush’s site before you buy.
Discover more from Alan Spicer - YouTube Certified Expert
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
