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Video Summary
Today, I’m talking about one of the most essential tools for website owners and marketers alike: it’s Google Search Console.
Whether you’re a beginner or you have a lot of experience, a Google Search Console property is essential to help you understand how your site performs in Google search results.
Here I’m going to give you a quick rundown of what you can expect from Google Search Console, then I’ll tell you how to set things up…
Video Transcript
Hello, my name is Jeffrey Kirk.
Today, I’m talking about one of the most essential tools for website owners and marketers alike: it’s Google Search Console.
Whether you’re a beginner or you have a lot of experience, a Google Search Console property is essential to help you understand how your site performs in Google search results.
If you’ve ever wondered how Google sees your website or how to improve your search presence, you’re in the right place. In fact, I publish a video every week on some aspect of digital marketing. Please click Subscribe so you’re notified when new videos are available.
Okay, so what exactly is the Google Search Console?
You can think of it as your website’s direct line of communication with Google. It’s a free tool provided by Google themselves. It gives you insights into how your site performs in their search results.
The easiest way to get started is to do a Google search with the words “google search console” or you can go directly to search.google.com/search-console. See? Searching for the words is easier.
Once you’ve signed in with your Google account, you’ll either see a dashboard full of data about your website’s performance or you’ll have the opportunity to set up your search console property.
First, I’m going to give you a quick rundown of what you can expect from Google Search Console, then I’ll tell you how to set things up.
Search Performance
The first thing to look for in the search console is Search Performance. This might show up right under Overview in the left-side menu or there might be a Performance menu item with Search results underneath that.
Unfortunately, these options don’t appear exactly the same for everyone. But regardless how it shows up for you, you will get detailed data about how your site is performing in the Google search results.
You’ll see which queries are driving traffic to your site, which pages are ranking well, and how users are interacting with your pages.
URL Inspection
The second one to look at is URL Inspection. This takes a deeper look into individual URLs on your site to see how Google views them.
For example, you can see whether a page is indexed or not, when it was last crawled, whether it uses HTTPS, and a variety of other details.
Pages
The third one is Pages and this is within the Indexing menu item. This is where you can find any issues Google may encounter while crawling and indexing your site.
From crawl errors to blocked pages, this report helps you make sure Google can access and understand your content properly.
Sitemaps
Fourth is Sitemaps, also in the Indexing section.
This is where you can submit your XML sitemap to Google. By submitting a sitemap, you help Google discover and index your site’s pages faster and more efficiently.
Doing this gives you an easy way to make sure Google doesn’t miss any important content.
Removals
Fifth is Removals, which you’ll also find in the Indexing menu. In this section you can ask Google to remove content from Google search. Now, why would you want to do that?
Well, this has been very useful for cleaning up hacked websites when the hackers inject a lot of extra pages that are not related to the business website. Or, you may just have old content you want to get rid of.
Security Issues
And, the last one I’m talking about is Security Issues. You’ll find this under Security and Manual Actions. In here you get alerts about any security issues Google detected on your site. These could include malware or phishing attacks.
Ideally, when you click on Security Issues, you’ll see that it says, “No issues detected”. If it says anything else, be sure to dig into the details that Google provides and take action quickly.
Experience and Enhancements Menus
Some other things you’ll find in the Google Search Console include Experience and Enhancements menus. These are additional ways in which Google looks at your site.
Google Search Console is packed with features designed to help you optimize your site for search and provide the best possible experience for your users. So, if you’re serious about improving your website’s visibility and performance in Google search results, Google’s Search Console is a must-have tool.
If you showed up at the search console and discovered you have no property set up, here’s a quick guide to get you started.
Setting Up Your Google Search Console
Once you’re logged in, you might see an option to add a property. Or, Google might put up a page that says, “Welcome to the Google Search Console”, asking you to select a property type.
Here, you have two options: Domain or URL prefix. If you’re setting up Search Console for your entire domain, choose ‘Domain.’ If you want to track a specific URL or a subdomain, select ‘URL prefix.’ For this example, let’s go with ‘URL prefix.’
Verify Ownership
After entering your website’s URL, click ‘Continue.’ Now, you’ll need to verify ownership of the property.
And Google offers several verification methods, including HTML file upload, HTML tag, domain name provider, Google Analytics, and Google Tag Manager. Choose the method that works best for you.
Copy the Meta Tag
Then copy the meta tag or other data provided by Google. If you choose the HTML tag, you can go to your website and paste the tag into the header section of your site. If you have a WordPress site, there are several plugins that can make this very easy for you.
And if you’re not familiar with this process, don’t worry. Just do a quick search with how to do this using your website’s platform.
Once you’ve added the meta tag to your website, go back to Google Search Console and click ‘Verify.’ If everything was done correctly, you’ll instantly receive a confirmation message, and your property will be verified.
Then, Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up Google Search Console for your website. In a few days all the menu options I spoke about earlier will be working for you.
If you found this video helpful, be sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel for more tips and tutorials. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to leave a comment below.
Now, do you want more people to find your business in the search results?
Having a Google Business Profile is the key! So go watch my previous video for a step-by-step guide on How to Set Up Your Google Business Profile.
Your business deserves to be seen online, and I will help you get there.
Thanks for watching and have a great day!
