How to Check Google Search Console On Website

Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool from Google that helps you understand how your website appears in Google Search—and what you can do to improve it. If you write blogs, run a business site, or offer SEO services, GSC is one of the most important tools to check regularly because it shows real data directly from Google.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• How to set up and verify Google Search Console

   

• How to check performance (clicks, impressions, CTR, position)

   

• How to find indexing problems and fix them

   

• How to submit a sitemap properly

   

• How to inspect a URL and request indexing

   

• How to check Core Web Vitals, mobile usability, and security issues

   

• Practical examples so you can apply it immediately
  

1) What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console is Google’s official dashboard for website owners. It shows:

• Which keywords your pages are showing for

   

• How many people see and click your pages

   

• Which pages are indexed (or not indexed)

   

• Technical issues affecting ranking (speed, mobile, indexing, errors)

   

• Backlink and internal link data

   

• Sitemaps and crawling info

   

Think of it like Google’s “health report + performance report” for your website.

2) Before You Start: What You Need

To use GSC smoothly, you need:

• A Google account (Gmail)

   

• Access to your domain or website files (WordPress admin, hosting panel, DNS, etc.)

   

• Your website URL (example: https://example.com)

   

3) How to Add Your Website to Google Search Console

Step 1: Open Google Search Console

Go to Google Search Console and sign in with your Google account.

Step 2: Add a Property (Two Options)

You’ll see two property types:

Option A: Domain property (Recommended)

• Covers all versions of your site:

   

  • http + https

     

  • www + non-www

     

  • subdomains (blog.example.com, etc.)

     

• Requires DNS verification (adding a record in your domain settings)

   

Option B: URL prefix property

• Covers only one exact version (example: only https://www.example.com)

   

• Easier verification options like HTML file, meta tag, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager

   

If you’re serious about SEO, choose Domain property. It’s cleaner and avoids missing data.

4) How to Verify Google Search Console (Verification Methods)

Google must confirm that you own the site. Here are common verification methods:

Method 1: DNS (Best for Domain Property)

You’ll copy a TXT record from GSC and paste it into your domain DNS settings (e.g., Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy).

Example:

• GSC gives something like:
  google-site-verification=AbCdEf12345…

   

• You add it as a TXT record in DNS.

   

• Wait a few minutes (sometimes up to 24 hours) and click Verify.

   

Method 2: HTML Meta Tag (Popular for WordPress)

GSC gives you a <meta> tag.
You paste it into your website’s header.

WordPress example:

• Use an SEO plugin (Rank Math / Yoast) → Webmaster Tools → paste the verification code.

   

Method 3: HTML File Upload

GSC gives you a file like google12345abc.html.
Upload it to your website root folder using hosting file manager or FTP, then verify.

Method 4: Google Analytics / Tag Manager

If your site already has GA4 or GTM set up with proper permissions, verification can be automatic.

5) What to Check First in Google Search Console

After verification, don’t get overwhelmed. Start with these 5 areas:

1. Performance

    

2. Pages (Indexing)

    

3. Sitemaps

    

4. URL Inspection

    

5. Enhancements (Core Web Vitals, Mobile, etc.)

    

Let’s go one by one.

6) How to Check Performance in Google Search Console

Where to go:

Search results → Performance

This section shows how your site performs in Google Search.

You’ll see four main metrics:

• Total clicks: how many people clicked your site from Google

   

• Total impressions: how many times your site appeared in search results

   

• Average CTR: click-through rate (clicks ÷ impressions)

   

• Average position: your average ranking position

   

How to read it (Simple example)

Imagine you have a blog post titled:
“How to write SEO-friendly content”

In Performance, you see:

• Impressions: 10,000

   

• Clicks: 200

   

• CTR: 2%

   

• Avg position: 12

   

Meaning:

• People are seeing your page a lot (good)

   

• It’s ranking around page 2 (position 12)

   

• CTR is low because it’s not in top results yet

   

What to do with this data

Improve CTR:

• Rewrite the title to be more specific

   

• Make the meta description clear and attractive

   

• Add numbers, benefits, or a strong promise

   

Improve position:

• Update content depth and quality

   

• Add internal links

   

• Add relevant FAQ section

   

• Improve page speed and mobile usability

   

How to check which keywords you’re getting impressions for

In Performance, scroll down:

• Click Queries

   

• You’ll see keywords that trigger your site

   

Example:
Queries show:

• “seo content writing” → impressions 3,000 → clicks 20

   

• “seo friendly article format” → impressions 500 → clicks 15

   

This tells you which topics Google thinks your page is relevant to.

7) How to Check Which Pages Are Performing Best

In the same Performance section:

• Click Pages tab

   

You’ll see which pages get the most clicks and impressions.

Example:

• /blog/seo-friendly-content/ → 120 clicks

   

• /blog/keyword-research-guide/ → 60 clicks

   

Now you can focus on improving your top pages first because small improvements on already-performing pages can boost results faster.

8) How to Check Indexing Status (Pages Report)

Where to go:

Indexing → Pages

This shows which pages are indexed and which are not.

You’ll generally see categories like:

• Indexed

   

• Not indexed

   

• Excluded

   

• Error

   

Common reasons pages aren’t indexed

Here are common status messages you might see:

1) “Crawled – currently not indexed”

Google crawled it but decided not to index it yet.

Common causes:

• Thin or low-value content

   

• Similar to another page (duplicate-ish)

   

• Weak internal linking

   

Fix ideas:

• Improve content depth

   

• Add unique value (examples, visuals, FAQ)

   

• Add internal links from relevant pages

   

• Request indexing after updates

   

2) “Discovered – currently not indexed”

Google knows the page exists but hasn’t crawled it yet.

Fix ideas:

• Ensure sitemap is submitted

   

• Improve internal links to that page

   

• Make sure the server is fast and stable

   

3) “Duplicate, Google chose different canonical”

Google thinks another page is the main version.

Fix ideas:

• Check canonical tag

   

• Avoid publishing multiple versions of the same content

   

• Make sure only one URL is used (www vs non-www, http vs https)

   

4) “Blocked by robots.txt”

Your robots.txt is preventing Google from crawling.

Fix ideas:

• Check your robots.txt

   

• Remove incorrect “Disallow” rules

   

• In WordPress, check if “Discourage search engines” is enabled (it shouldn’t be)

   

9) How to Inspect a URL in Google Search Console (Most Useful Feature)

Where to go:

At the top search bar: URL Inspection

Paste any page URL and press enter.

You’ll see:

• Is the URL on Google?

   

• Indexing status

   

• Canonical URL chosen by Google

   

• Mobile usability

   

• Crawled page details

   

• Last crawl date

   

Example:

You publish:
https://example.com/blog/seo-reporting-tools

In URL Inspection it shows:

• “URL is not on Google”

   

• Reason: “Crawled – currently not indexed”

   

What you do:

1. Update the article (add more depth, FAQ, internal links)

    

2. Click Request Indexing

    

3. Wait and check back later (no need to spam it daily)

    

10) How to Submit Your Sitemap in GSC

A sitemap helps Google discover your pages faster.

Where to go:

Indexing → Sitemaps

What to submit

Most sites use:

• sitemap.xml

   

• or for WordPress with Rank Math/Yoast:

   

  • sitemap_index.xml

     

Example:
If your website is https://example.com/, you submit:
https://example.com/sitemap_index.xml

After submitting, GSC will show:

• Status: Success

   

• Discovered URLs count

   

If sitemap shows errors

Common issues:

• sitemap URL returns 404

   

• blocked by robots.txt

   

• redirect problems

   

• wrong format

   

Fix those, then resubmit.

11) How to Check Core Web Vitals (Speed & User Experience)

Where to go:

Experience → Core Web Vitals

This section shows whether your pages are passing Google’s user experience signals, especially:

• Loading performance

   

• Interactivity

   

• Layout stability

   

You’ll usually see:

• Good

   

• Needs improvement

   

• Poor

   

Example fix actions:

• Compress images

   

• Use caching plugin (WordPress)

   

• Reduce heavy scripts

   

• Use a good hosting plan

   

• Avoid massive sliders and animations