Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool provided by Google that allows website owners and SEO professionals to monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot their website’s performance in Google search results. In terms of SEO, Google Search Console is an invaluable resource as it offers insights into how Google views and interacts with a website, and it provides data and feedback that can be used to optimize a site’s search visibility and performance.
Key functionalities and insights provided by Google Search Console include:
These show which pages from a website have been indexed by Google, and any issues or errors that might be preventing pages from being indexed.
This provides data on a website’s search visibility, including metrics like total clicks, total impressions, average click-through rate (CTR), and average position for various queries.
Here, website owners can see any issues related to the mobile-friendliness of their pages, which is crucial given the prominence of mobile search.
This allows users to fetch and render individual URLs and see how Google views a page. It’s useful for troubleshooting and quick indexing new or updated content.
Users can submit XML sitemaps through GSC, helping to ensure Google is aware of all the pages on a site, particularly new or updated ones.
GSC offers data on which sites link to your website (external) and how pages link to each other (internal).
It alerts site owners if Google detects any security issues (like malware) or if a manual penalty has been applied due to a violation of Google’s guidelines.
A section that provides insights into user experience metrics related to speed, responsiveness, and visual stability of a page.
Google Search Console is an essential tool for anyone involved in SEO, whether a beginner or an expert. It provides insights into how a website performs in Google search and offers actionable feedback to address issues and improve search visibility. By regularly monitoring and using the data from GSC, website owners can ensure that their site is aligned with Google’s guidelines, optimized for search, and accessible to their intended audience.