Google Search Console is only available for those with custom domain names
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool provided by Google that helps website owners monitor and maintain their site’s presence in Google search results. It enables you to:
Understand how Google sees your site: GSC provides insights into how Google crawls, indexes, and serves your website.
Identify and fix issues: Receive email alerts when Google identifies problems on your site, such as:
Unavailable (404) pages
Duplicate or canonical issues
Structured data errors (e.g., recipes, jobs)
AMP-specific issues
Submit sitemaps and URLs for crawling: Request that Google crawl specific pages or submit your sitemap to help Google discover your latest content.
Review index coverage: Ensure Google has the freshest view of your site by monitoring index coverage and resolving any issues that may affect your site’s visibility.
Analyze search traffic and performance: Use GSC reports to measure your site’s impressions, clicks, and position on Google Search, helping you understand your organic search traffic and optimize your site for better performance.
Receive automated search performance reports: GSC will email reports which allow you to stay on top of your search performance without even having to log into dashboard. Reports look like this:
Who is Google Search Console good for?
GSC is a valuable resource for anyone with a website, regardless of size or complexity. It’s essential for:
SEO professionals and digital marketers to monitor and improve their site’s search engine optimization (SEO)
Web developers and designers to troubleshoot issues and ensure their site is properly indexed
Content creators and bloggers to analyze their site’s search traffic and performance
How do I set up Google Search Console?
Create a Google Account: If you don’t already have a Google Account, create one at accounts.google.com.
Sign in to Google Search Console: Go to search.google.com/search-console/about and click Start now, and sign in with your Google Account credentials.
Add a Property: Click on “Add a property” and enter your site’s custom domain. Do NOT include the www.
Verify Site Ownership: Google Search Console requires verification of your site’s ownership. You can do this using one of the following methods.
Select Domain:
Choose Verification Method: Select either TXT or CNAME verification and follow the instructions provided by Google to complete the verification process. You will need to make an entry at your domain registrar that Google will then verify.
Wait for Verification: Once you’ve completed the verification process, Google Search Console will notify you when your site is verified. Note that it sometimes takes 15 minutes for the changes you made at your registrar to be available for Google to verify. Give it a few minutes.
Explore Search Console: After verification, you can explore the various features and reports in Google Search Console, such as:
Index coverage: Monitor how many pages are indexed and identify issues.
Sitemaps: Submit your sitemap to help Google discover and crawl your site’s pages. Learn more about Sitemaps
Search analytics: View impressions, clicks, and position data for your site’s search traffic.
Security issues: Monitor and address potential security threats to your site.
Consider delegating ownership or adding users to your Search Console account if you have a team or collaborators working on your website.