How Google Search Console works for your SEO

How Google Search Console works

The essentials: how it works and how to use it

How Google Search Console gathers and displays your data

Google Search Console, previously known as WebMaster Tools, is the essential platform for monitoring your website’s visibility and indexation on Google. It is designed for SEO professionals and businesses who want to take control of their digital performance. For a full overview of its features, see the main article Google Search Console.

Google Search Console continuously collects data from the interactions between your website and Google’s index. Every visit, impression and click is analysed and presented in clear, visual reports. The platform brings together information about how your pages appear in search results, the status of indexation, technical issues and opportunities for improvement.

Its reports allow you to assess performance by keyword, page, country and device (mobile or desktop), enabling you to prioritise actions that will have the greatest impact.

Analysing SEO performance: keywords, pages and available reports

Google Search Console provides four key metrics: impressions, clicks, average CTR and average position. These KPIs are vital for tracking your SEO progress. Impressions show how often your site appears in Google results, while clicks measure the traffic you receive.

You can filter and compare data over different periods, making it easier to spot trends. Google Search Console automatically detects changes in performance and notifies you of any drops or increases in traffic. Managing and submitting XML sitemaps helps speed up the indexation process.

Integrating Google Analytics and other tools for deeper analysis

It is best practice to connect Google Search Console with Google Analytics to combine insights: Search Console reveals your visibility on Google, while Google Analytics tracks user behaviour on your site. Incremys integrates both tools via API within its 360° SEO SaaS solution, giving you a comprehensive overview and automating your reporting.

How to access and use Google Search Console effectively

Steps to connect, verify and configure your website

To access Google Search Console, go to search.google.com/search-console and sign in with your Google account. Adding your website is straightforward: click "Start", enter your URL, choose either "Domain" or "URL Prefix", then verify ownership using one of the available methods.

It is important to manage your properties and users carefully. Once verified, configure your robots.txt file to optimise crawling by Google’s bots and submit your XML sitemap to accelerate indexation.

Is Google Search Console free to use?

Google Search Console is completely free, regardless of how much data you process or how many sites you manage. This makes it an indispensable tool for any SEO strategy. For more advanced automation and collaborative management, Incremys offers additional modules such as the 360° SEO audit and editorial planning, both of which integrate data from Google Search Console.

To keep up with the latest SEO trends and innovations, visit the Incremys Blog.