Google Search Console Guide

Google Search Console (GSC) is one of the most powerful free SEO tool available today. Whether you are a beginner learning SEO for the first time or an experienced SEO professional managing large websites, GSC provides direct data from Google that no third-party tool can fully replicate.

At SEO Deeply, we use Google Search Console daily to diagnose technical issues, uncover ranking opportunities, improve click-through rates, and scale organic traffic in a Google-friendly way.

This guide will teach you:

• How to set up Google Search Console correctly
• How to use GSC to improve rankings and traffic
• How to fix indexing and technical SEO issues
• Advanced strategies used by professional SEOs
• How to use GSC data for modern SEO and AI-driven search results

If you want to get the maximum SEO value from Google Search Console, this guide is for you.

What Is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console is a free tool by Google that helps website owners monitor, maintain, and optimize their presence in Google Search results.

It allows you to:

• See which keywords your site ranks for
• Track clicks, impressions, CTR, and rankings
• Fix indexing and crawling issues
• Improve mobile usability
• Analyze internal and external links
• Understand how Google views your website

Unlike SEO tools that rely on estimates, GSC data comes directly from Google’s search engine, making it extremely reliable for decision-making.

How to Set Up Google Search Console Correctly

Step 1: Add Your Website Property

Log in to Google Search Console and click Add Property.

You will see two options:

• Domain Property (Recommended)
• URL Prefix Property

For long-term SEO tracking, always choose Domain Property. This tracks all versions of your site, including:

• http and https
• www and non-www
• subdomains

This gives you complete visibility and prevents data gaps.

Step 2: Verify Website Ownership

The most reliable verification methods are:

• DNS TXT record (best and most future-proof)
• HTML tag (easy for WordPress users)
• Google Analytics (only if already installed correctly)

Once verified, Google will begin collecting data immediately, though full data may take a few days.

Essential Google Search Console Settings

Submit Your XML Sitemap

Submitting a xml sitemap helps Google:

• Discover new pages faster
• Understand your site structure
• Crawl large websites efficiently

Even small websites benefit from sitemap submission.

Best practices:

• Use one clean XML sitemap
• Exclude noindex and blocked URLs
• Update automatically via SEO plugins

To submit:

• Go to Sitemaps
• Enter your sitemap URL
• Click Submit

Set Preferred Domain and Canonicals

While Google is good at understanding canonical URLs, inconsistent internal links or duplicate URLs can still cause problems.

Ensure:

• One canonical version per page
• Proper redirects (301)
• Clean URL structure

This reduces duplicate content issues and strengthens indexing signals.

Performance Report – The Core of SEO Growth

The Performance report is the most valuable section of Google Search Console.

It shows:

• Search queries
• Pages ranking for those queries
• Impressions
• Clicks
• Click-through rate (CTR)
• Average position

This report helps you understand how users actually find your site in Google.

How to Find Easy Ranking Opportunities

One of the fastest ways to grow traffic is by improving pages that already rank.

Steps:

1. Filter keywords ranking between positions 5–15
2. Sort by impressions
3. Identify pages with low CTR

Then improve:

• Title tags using search intent
• Meta descriptions with clear benefits
• Content depth and structure
• Internal linking

This method alone can increase traffic without building backlinks.

How to Increase CTR Using GSC Data

Low CTR means Google is ranking your page, but users are not clicking.

Common fixes:

• Add clarity to titles
• Match exact search intent
• Use benefit-driven wording
• Avoid vague or generic titles

At SEO Deeply, CTR optimization is one of the highest ROI SEO activities.

Indexing & Pages Report Explained

The Pages report (formerly Index Coverage) shows which URLs are indexed and which are not.

Important statuses include:

• Crawled – not indexed
• Discovered – not indexed
• Duplicate without canonical
• Blocked by robots.txt

Each status gives direct insight into why a page may not be ranking.

How to Fix “Crawled – Not Indexed”

This issue usually occurs due to:

• Thin or low-value content
• Duplicate search intent
• Weak internal linking
• Poor page experience

Solutions:

• Expand content meaningfully
• Improve topical coverage
• Add internal links from authority pages
• Enhance page speed and mobile usability

URL Inspection Tool (Advanced Usage)

The URL Inspection tool lets you see exactly how Google crawls and renders a page.

You can use it to:

• Request fast indexing
• Debug indexing issues
• Test live URLs
• Check rendered content

This is essential after:

• Updating old content
• Fixing technical errors
• Publishing important pages

Mobile Usability & Page Experience

Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning the mobile version of your site is the primary version used for ranking.

The Mobile Usability report shows issues like:

• Text too small to read
• Clickable elements too close
• Layout issues on mobile devices

Fixing these problems often results in noticeable ranking improvements.

Links Report – Internal & External SEO

Internal Linking Optimization

The Links report shows how internal links are distributed across your site.

Use it to:

• Identify pages with low internal links
• Strengthen important pages
• Pass authority strategically

Internal linking is one of the easiest and most underrated SEO wins.

External Links Insights

You can also see:

• Which pages receive the most backlinks
• Which sites link to you most frequently

Use this data to:

• Identify link-worthy content
• Strengthen internal links from high-authority pages

Crawl Budget Optimization (Large Websites)

If your site has thousands of URLs, crawl budget becomes important.

You should:

• Block unnecessary parameters
• Avoid infinite URL combinations
• Improve server response times
• Remove junk pages from indexing

Better crawl efficiency helps Google index important pages faster.

Google Search Console & AI-Driven SEO

Modern search is increasingly influenced by AI systems, including AI Overviews and entity-based ranking.

Use GSC to:

• Identify question-based queries
• Optimize for featured snippets
• Improve topical authority
• Match user intent precisely

Pages optimized using real GSC data are more likely to perform well in AI-powered search results.

Google Search Console Best Practices Checklist

• Submit XML sitemap
• Monitor Pages report weekly
• Fix indexing errors quickly
• Improve CTR monthly
• Refresh high-performing content
• Strengthen internal links
• Track mobile usability issues

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Thoughts

Google Search Console is not just a reporting tool. It is a decision-making engine for SEO success.

When used correctly, it helps you:

• Rank faster
• Fix problems before traffic drops
• Discover opportunities competitors miss
• Align perfectly with Google’s expectations

We consider Google Search Console a non-negotiable tool for sustainable, Google-friendly SEO growth.