Google Search Console Dashboard showing website performance metrics

Google Search Console: A Simple Guide to Better Website Rankings

2025-03-15

Want to know how well your website shows up in Google searches? Google Search Console is a free tool that helps you do just that. Let's learn how to use it to improve your website rankings!

Setting Up Google Search Console

Here's what you need to do first:

  1. Go to Google Search Console (search.google.com/search-console)
  2. Click "Add Property" and enter your website address
  3. Verify you own the website using one of the methods Google suggests (like adding a HTML tag or uploading a file)
  4. Once verified, click on "Sitemaps" on the left menu and add your sitemap URL (usually sitemap.xml)
Important: All the tools mentioned below are found within Google Search Console after you select your property. You must first click on your website in the property selector to access these reports.

Main Tools You'll Use

1. Search Results Report (Performance)

How to find it: After selecting your property, click "Performance" in the left menu

This shows you:

  • How many people clicked on your website
  • How many times your site appeared in searches
  • Which search words bring people to your site
  • Where your website ranks in Google
2. Page Checker (URL Inspection)

How to find it: After selecting your property, click "URL Inspection" at the top of the page

Use this to:

  • See if Google can find your pages
  • Check if your pages work on mobile phones
  • Ask Google to look at your new or updated pages
3. Problems Reports

How to find them: After selecting your property, look in the left menu for:

  • Coverage/Indexing - Shows pages with errors
  • Mobile Usability - Shows mobile phone issues
  • Security Issues - Shows security problems
  • Core Web Vitals (under Experience) - Shows page speed issues

5 Ways to Improve Your Rankings

  1. Fix broken pages - Find them in the Coverage/Indexing report and fix or redirect them
  2. Make your site faster - Check your speed in Core Web Vitals report
  3. Fix mobile issues - Look at the Mobile Usability report for problems
  4. Use popular search words - Find them in the Performance report under "Queries"
  5. Create content about topics people search for - Look at which searches bring people to your site
Common ProblemEasy FixWhere to Find It
Broken pages (404 errors)Fix or remove broken linksCoverage/Indexing report
Website too slowMake images smaller, remove unnecessary codeCore Web Vitals report
Mobile phone issuesMake sure your site works well on phonesMobile Usability report
Pages not showing in GoogleSubmit them using the URL Inspection toolURL Inspection (top of page)

Step-by-Step: How to Check Your Website

  1. Log in to Search Console: Go to search.google.com/search-console
  2. Select your website: Click on your website from the property list
  3. Check performance: Click "Performance" to see your search traffic
  4. Look for errors: Click "Coverage" or "Indexing" to find page errors
  5. Test a page: Use "URL Inspection" to check specific pages
  6. Fix mobile issues: Click "Mobile Usability" to see phone problems

Regular Website Check-up

Try to do these things:

  • Check your Performance report weekly
  • Look for errors in the Coverage/Indexing report monthly
  • Fix problems as soon as you find them
  • Keep track of which search words work best

Tips for Better Rankings

  • Start with fixing the biggest problems first
  • Look at which pages get the most clicks in the Performance report
  • Use the Mobile-Friendly Test to check how your site looks on phones (this link works directly)
  • Add more content about topics people are searching for
  • Compare your results month by month to see improvement

Wrap Up

Google Search Console helps you understand how people find your website and shows you how to improve your rankings. By checking it regularly at search.google.com/search-console and fixing problems it shows you, you can help more people find your website through Google searches. Remember, improvements take time, so be patient and keep at it!

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