How To Setup Google Search Console? Step By Step Guide

To perform well over the net and amongst your competitors, you must keep on analyzing the performance of the website regularly, and make the required improvements. Google Search Console is an essential tool for everyone who has a website for his business or personal branding, is a digital marketer, and SEO professional. It provides valuable insights into how your site is performing on search engines like Google and search for improvement.

It is a free service provided by Google that allows one to monitor, maintain, and improve your site’s presence in Google Search results. Search Console gives brief insights for:

Performance metrics; Clicks, impressions, and average position.
Analysing Crawling and indexing status
Examining Backlinks and internal linking and structure
Responsiveness for mobile usability, security, and structured data

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll talk about how to set up Google Search Console and judicially use its features to enhance your website’s visibility.

Also Read: What is Digital Marketing? Everything You Need To Know

Why It’s Needed To Set Up Google Search Console?

Here are the advantages that one gets from using GSC:

Monitor the performance of the Website: Understand the ranking of your website for the search of different queries and to track organic traffic.

Identifying the issues of indexing: Check for the pages of the website that have errors and check for indexing.
SEO optimization: Check for keywords having high traffic, which can improve and enhance the strategy of your content.
Improve User Experience: Spot and fix the issues in mobile responsivity and usability.
Examine Backlink Profile: Analyse the external links in your website to build a better backlink strategy.

Steps to Set Up Google Search Console

Step 1: Access your Google account and log in.

Make sure you have a Google account before configuring the Google Search Console. Go to Google Account to create a new account if you don’t have one.

Step 2: Open the Search Console on Google

Open the Google Search Console app.
Press the “Start Now” button.

Step 3: Add Your Property

Adding your website as a “property” in GSC is necessary. To add a property, you have two choices:

Property Domain

Type in your domain name, such as example.com. (e.g., example.com).

The URL Prefix Property

Type in a precise URL, such as https://www.example.com.

Select the choice that best suits your requirements or you can get one from the recommended domain property.

Also Read: What is Google Search Console and How Does It Work?

Step 4:Authenticate Your Ownership.

To access data for your site, you must verify ownership. Google provides several verification methods:

a)Verification of DNS (Suggested for Domain Property)

During setup, choose Domain Property.
Make a copy of the Google-provided TXT record.
Go to your domain registrar (such as Bluehost, Namecheap, or GoDaddy) and log in.
To add the TXT record to your domain, find your DNS settings.
After saving the modifications, go back to GSC and select Verify.

b)HTML File Upload

Download the HTML file provided by GCS.
Upload the file to the root directory of your website using FTP or your hosting platform’s file manager.
Confirm by clicking Verify

c) HTML Tag

Copy the meta tag provided by Google.
Paste it into the <head> section of your website’s HTML file.
Save and verify.

d) Analytics by Google

Connect an existing Google Analytics account that monitors the same website to your Google Search Console account.
Make sure you have the admin rights you need in Analytics.

e) Tag Manager for Google

To check if it’s already connected to your website, use a Tag Manager account.
Select the approach that works best for your setup.

Step 5: Send in Your Sitemap

A sitemap makes it easier for Google to identify your pages and comprehend the structure of your website.

Open GSC and navigate to the Sitemaps section.
Enter your sitemap’s URL, such as https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml.
Press the “Submit” button.

Create a sitemap if you don’t already have one utilizing internet sitemap generators or WordPress plugins like Yoast SEO.

Also Read: What is Google Analytics And What Is Its Usage?

Step 6: Explore the features of GSC

Report on Performance

Go to the tab for Performance.
Examine important metrics like average position, average CTR, clicks, and impressions.
Sort data by search appearance, devices, countries, pages, and queries.

Tool for URL Inspection

To see if a certain page is being indexed, enter its URL.
Ask for new or updated pages to be indexed.

Report on Coverage

Verify which pages are indexed and look for server problems or errors like 404s.
Resubmit the impacted pages for indexing after fixing any issues.

Improvements

Keep an eye on structured data such as FAQ markup and rich snippets.
Check for AMP performance and mobile usability concerns.

Report on Links

Check out the external links that lead to your website.
Examine patterns of internal connection.

Security and Manual Actions

Ensure your site is free from security issues like malware.
Check for manual penalties imposed by Google.

In Conclusion

For anyone who wants to optimize their website for improved search performance, set up Google Search Console is an essential first step. You can effectively include GSC into your workflow and make use of its robust capabilities by following these instructions. Keep a close eye on the functionality of your website, address problems as soon as they arise, and modify your SEO tactics in light of the information you gather.

Also Read: How to Setup Google Analytics? Step By Step Guide

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How Frequently Ought One To Utilize Google Search Console?

To be informed about the health and performance of your site, it is advised that you study GSC reports every week or every two weeks.

Is It Possible To Use Google Search Console For More Than One Website?

It is possible to add and oversee more than one property using a single Google account.

Does the Google Search Console Have No Cost?

Yes, using GSC is totally free.

What Is The Duration Required To View Data In GSC?

After setting up your property, it could take 48 to 72 hours for the data to appear.

Can I Track Backlinks In Google Search Console?

Yes, GSC shows external links pointing to your website, helping you analyze and improve your backlink strategy.

Does Google Search Console Support Multiple Users?

Yes, you can grant access to multiple users with varying permission levels, like full or restricted access.

How To Setup Google Search Console? Step By Step Guide

Why It’s Needed To Set Up Google Search Console?