Google Search Console

Why it matters: Search Console is Google's own view of how it crawls, indexes, and shows your site. It's the first place to look before changing anything.

By the end you can:

• Choose and verify the right property
• Read the Performance report
• Use URL Inspection
• Run a repeatable diagnosis routine

Learn (15 min)

1. Property and setup (5 min)

A property is a verified site scope. A Domain property covers all subdomains and protocols; a URL-prefix property covers one exact prefix. Verify ownership, grant correct access levels, and remember Search Console covers Google Search only; it's not general analytics and doesn't show every query.

2. Read performance and indexing (5 min)

Performance shows clicks, impressions, CTR, average position by query, page, country, device, date, and search appearance. Compare equal date ranges; avoid reading single days. Page indexing summarizes indexed and excluded URLs and reasons.

3. Inspect and document (5 min)

URL Inspection shows Google's indexed version and can test the live URL. Use it for canonical choice, fetch issues, and structured data. Submitting a sitemap helps discovery but doesn't guarantee indexing. Log each issue: affected URLs, the change, and a follow-up date.

Apply (15 min)

Worked example (3 min). A new service page has 800 impressions but 4 clicks. Diagnosis: filter by page, look at the queries; compare title to the dominant query intent (people want pricing, title says "Services"); inspect indexing; make one change (title to "Headshot Pricing for Teams in Albany/Saratoga"); review in 3–4 weeks against the same page and queries.

Lab (7 min): Diagnose a page.

1. In Search Console (or sample data), choose one page with decent impressions.
2. Record its top 5 queries, CTR, and average position.
3. Compare each query's intent with the page title/snippet.
4. Write one hypothesis, one change, and a review date.

Deliverable: A diagnosis note. You're done when: The change is tied to a specific query/intent mismatch.

Check yourself (5 min)

1. What is CTR?
2. What does URL Inspection show?
3. Does sitemap submission guarantee indexing?
4. Scenario: Impressions fell 30% in one week. What comparisons do you make before reacting?
5. Why isn't average position a guaranteed rank?

Reference

Common mistakes

Cheat sheet: Verify property → review performance → inspect indexing → test URLs → submit sitemap if useful → document changes.

Key terms: property, impression, click, CTR, URL Inspection.

Interview prompts: How do you investigate a traffic drop?

Go deeper: Get started with Search Console · Performance report · URL Inspection · Sitemaps report

Next: Lesson 36 — measuring what visitors do.