Google Search Console for Business Owners

What Search Console does

Search Console reports on your site's presence in Google Search: which searches it appears for, which pages Google has indexed, and problems Google found while crawling. Google's getting started page says you need not sign in daily: Search Console emails you about new issues, and a check around once a month, or after content changes, is enough. Unlike Google Analytics, it shows what happens in Search before anyone reaches your site.

Domain or URL-prefix property

Each site you add is a "property". Google's help page on adding a property describes two website types:

• Domain property (for example example.com). It includes all subdomains, such as www and m, and both http and https. You enter just the domain, without a protocol, path or www. It can only be verified with a DNS record.
• URL-prefix property (for example https://www.example.com/). It includes only URLs that start with exactly that prefix, protocol included, so http:// and https://, or www and non-www, are different properties. It offers several verification methods.

For most business websites a domain property is the better start: it shows the whole site, including old http or non-www addresses that should redirect.

Verifying ownership

Before you see any data, you prove that you control the site. Google's verification help page lists the methods:

• Domain name provider: add a TXT record to the domain's DNS. Google calls this more complex, but it is the only way to verify a domain property. Whoever manages your DNS, often your registrar or hosting company, can add it; our guide to domain names explains where DNS lives.
• HTML file upload or HTML tag: put a file on the site, or a <meta> tag in the home page's <head>.
• Google Analytics or Google Tag Manager: use an existing tag in an account you can access.

Verification is not one-off. Search Console checks periodically that your token is still there; if it disappears, for example because a redesign removed the meta tag, owners are notified and lose access after a grace period. Google suggests adding a second method for that reason. Data takes a few days to start appearing.

Owners, users and agencies

Google's page on owners, users and permissions defines the roles:

• Owner: full control, including adding and removing users. A verified owner proved ownership with a token; a delegated owner was added by another owner. Both have the same permissions.
• Full user: can view all data and take some actions.
• Restricted user: has view rights on most data.

A property must have at least one verified owner, or no one can access it. So the business itself should be a verified owner, from a Google Account it controls, not a developer's login. Give an agency full user access unless it must manage users, and remove people when they leave, under Settings > Users and permissions. When you take over a site, Google says you can unverify previous owners by removing their verification token. Our guide to choosing a web developer covers what else the business should own.

Submitting a sitemap

An XML sitemap lists the pages you want Google to know about. The Sitemaps report help page explains that submitting means telling Google where the file is; you cannot upload it to Google. You need owner permission to submit; otherwise you can list the sitemap in robots.txt. Enter the sitemap URL, often /sitemap.xml, and submit, then check that the status shows Success.

Google says you probably don't need a sitemap if your platform manages one, or the site has about 500 pages or fewer all linked from the home page. It also notes that crawling the listed URLs takes time, and not all may be crawled.

The Page indexing report

The Page indexing report shows which pages Google has indexed and why others are not. Google says a site with fewer than 500 pages probably doesn't need it: a site: search for your domain or a key page shows whether it is in Google.

When you open it, check that important pages are indexed and the rest are unindexed for good reasons, such as an intended robots.txt rule, a noindex tag, a duplicate URL, or a 404 for a page you removed. Two statuses are easy to misread:

• Crawled, currently not indexed: Google crawled the page but did not index it. Google says it may or may not be indexed in the future, and there is no need to resubmit it.
• Discovered, currently not indexed: Google found the URL but has not crawled it yet, typically because crawling then was expected to overload the site, so the crawl was rescheduled.

A new page or site can take a week or so to be indexed. For "not found", redirect and soft 404 statuses, our guide to 404s and redirects explains each one and the Validate fix button.

Inspecting a single page

For one specific page, use the URL Inspection tool: paste the full URL into the search bar at the top of Search Console. It shows Google's indexed version of the page: how Google found it, when it was last crawled, and which URL Google chose as canonical.

• Indexed result versus live test. The default view is not live; it shows the version Google last indexed. Run the live test to check the current page, and view a screenshot of how Google's crawler renders it.
• "URL is on Google" is not a ranking promise. Google says it means the page can appear in results, not that it will.
• Request indexing. After you change an important page, you can ask Google to recrawl it. There is a daily limit per property, and Google says that for many new or updated pages a sitemap with <lastmod> dates is the better choice.

The Performance report

The Performance report shows clicks, impressions, click-through rate and average position, by default for the past three months. Filters at the top change the date range and the search type (web, image, video or news), and tabs above the table group the data by queries, pages, countries, devices, search appearance or dates.

The useful questions: which searches bring people in, which pages earn the clicks, and what changed since last month. Our monthly website report guide explains what each metric means and how to report on it, and our SEO basics guide covers what to do with the queries you find.

Security issues and manual actions

• Security issues. The Security issues report shows Google's findings if your site was hacked or behaves in a way that could harm visitors: hacked content, malware and unwanted software, or social engineering such as phishing. Our website security guide covers prevention.
• Manual actions. The Manual actions report shows whether a human reviewer at Google has found that pages do not comply with Google's spam policies. Google says some or all of the site may then not be shown in search results, and it notifies you in the report and the Search Console message center.

For both, the process is the same: fix the issue on every affected page, then select Request Review in the report and describe your fixes. Google says most reviews take several days or weeks, and it keeps you informed of progress by email.

A monthly routine

• The business is a verified owner, by DNS, from an account it controls; a second verification method is in place.
• The user list matches the people and agencies who currently work on the site.
• The sitemap status is Success.
• Key pages are indexed; unindexed pages are unindexed for a good reason.
• Security issues and Manual actions both show no issues.
• The Performance report has been compared with last month, and any big change explained.

After a redesign or domain move, check more often; see our redesign SEO guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Search Console free?

Yes. You need a Google Account and must verify that you control the site before you see its data.

Should I choose a domain property or a URL-prefix property?

For most business sites, a domain property, because it covers every subdomain and both http and https in one view. It can only be verified with a DNS record. A URL-prefix property covers one exact prefix and offers more verification methods; add one when you want to look at a single section on its own.

Who should own our Search Console property?

The business, through a Google Account it controls, as a verified owner. Google says a property must have at least one verified owner or nobody can access it. Developers and agencies can then be added as full or restricted users, and removed when the work ends.

Do I need to submit a sitemap?

Often not, for a small site whose pages are all linked from the home page, or when your platform manages the sitemap. It helps most when you add or update many pages at once.

A page says 'Crawled, currently not indexed'. Should I request indexing again?

Google says there is no need to resubmit such a URL; it may or may not be indexed in the future. Improve the page and link to it from the rest of the site; request indexing after a real change.

Want a site built with the search basics in place, from clean URLs and an XML sitemap to structured data and redirects from old addresses? See our website development service and all our services, or email [email protected].