Google Search Console
The free tool every site must verify.
Google Search Console shows you what Google sees when it crawls, indexes, and ranks your site. Which queries bring traffic. Which pages are indexed (and which aren't). Core Web Vitals scores. Security issues. Mobile usability problems. Everything you need to diagnose SEO — straight from the source. Free.
Google Search Console · your-site.ie
Last 90 daysWeb · all queries
Total clicks
8,247
+12%
Total impressions
184K
+28%
Average CTR
4.5%
-0.3%
Average position
12.3
-1.8
Performance over time
Clicks
Impressions
90-day window
Dec 1Jan 1Feb 1Today
Top queries
Brand queries
Query
Clicks
Impr.
CTR
Position
crescentek
842
1,420
59.3%
1.1
crescentek dublin
318
620
51.3%
1.2
crescentek agency
187
420
44.5%
1.4
crescentek review
94
285
33.0%
2.1
crescentek rajiv
71
180
39.4%
1.8
The reports to actually use
GSC has 12 reports. These are the 6 that matter.
Performance
Clicks, impressions, CTR, position per query + per page. The report you'll live in. Filter by country, device, date.
Pages / Indexing
Which pages Google has indexed vs skipped. Why each URL was excluded (noindex / duplicate / soft 404 / crawl error).
Core Web Vitals
LCP / INP / CLS scores across all pages, grouped by template. Mobile + desktop separate. Real user data, not lab.
Mobile usability
Pages where Google struggles on mobile (tiny tap targets, content wider than screen, text too small). Rare now but still worth checking.
Sitemaps
Submit XML sitemaps so Google finds all your pages. See how many of the submitted URLs actually got indexed.
Links
External sites linking to you + your internal link graph. Not comprehensive (Google shows a sample) but useful for identifying top-linked pages.
Reading the data right
How to actually use Performance data — beyond "number go up".
Pages declining in position but impressions growing
Often means Google is showing you for broader, more competitive queries. Check which new queries appeared. Might need more focused content to keep specific terms.
High impressions, zero clicks
You rank (position 1-10) but title/meta description isn't compelling. Rewrite the SERP snippet. Or — you might be appearing for queries you shouldn't be.
Sudden impression drop on core queries
Red flag. Algorithm update? Manual action? Technical issue with indexing? Check security + technical tabs first, then compare dates against known algorithm updates.
Long-tail queries driving surprising traffic
GSC shows you queries you didn't know you ranked for. Build content around the ones with intent. Highest ROI SEO win people miss.
Brand queries + non-brand split
Filter Performance by query containing "your-brand" vs not. The delta tells you how much traffic is earned vs just people typing your name in.
Country + device analysis
Your site might rank great in Ireland but nowhere in UK. Or dominant on desktop but invisible on mobile. Filter accordingly — often reveals real opportunities or technical issues.
The setup checklist
What to do within 48 hours of launching a site.
Every new site needs these 8 things verified in GSC. Takes 30 minutes. Most sites skip 3-4 of these and pay for it later with missed traffic or late-detected issues.
01
Verify domain property
DNS TXT record verification covers all subdomains + protocols. Preferred over URL-prefix method.
02
Submit XML sitemap
Your WordPress / Yoast / Rank Math / custom sitemap URL submitted under Sitemaps. Google finds pages much faster.
03
Check indexing coverage
Pages report should show most URLs "Indexed". Flag anything excluded unexpectedly + fix.
04
Set up email alerts
Settings → Preferences. Email alerts for manual actions, coverage issues, security problems. Don't discover disasters a month late.
05
Check mobile usability
Fix any mobile usability errors. Usually a template issue affecting all pages — one fix clears them all.
06
Review Core Web Vitals
New sites usually show 'Insufficient data' for first 28 days. Re-check monthly. Fix any reported URLs.
07
Submit sitemap to IndexNow
Bing + Yandex also need your content. IndexNow protocol ping works across them. Plugin-level support in most CMS.
08
Link GA4 + Ads
Connect GSC to Google Analytics 4 + Google Ads for deeper integration. Query data flows into GA Landing Page reports.
Honest limits
What GSC doesn't tell you.
Sampling + aggregation limits
GSC shows a sample — not every query. 1,000 query rows max per view. Very long-tail traffic hidden in aggregate "other" buckets.
No Bing / Yahoo / DuckDuckGo data
Google-only. Use Bing Webmaster Tools for those (~5% of Irish search market). Combined view needs separate tools.
Query-to-page attribution is fuzzy
GSC shows queries that led to your site but not always which specific page each query landed on. Use Performance filter by page to reverse-engineer.
Only 16 months of data
After 16 months, old data rolls off. Export monthly to Sheets / BigQuery if you need longer-term trends. Most competitive tools have this archiving built in.
Rankings shown are averages
"Average position 12.3" doesn't mean you're position 12. You're 6 for some queries, 30 for others. Segment by query for useful detail.
No competitor data
You see your own metrics only. For competitor analysis, Ahrefs / SEMrush / Sistrix / etc. pair naturally with GSC.
Frequently asked
GSC questions.
Yes — typically as part of ongoing SEO work. We verify the property, submit sitemaps, configure email alerts, and then review data monthly as part of SEO retainer. Standalone GSC setup also available for €400-800 flat fee depending on technical complexity.
Let's read your GSC data properly.
30-minute GSC walkthrough — share screen access, we audit together: identify quick-win queries, indexing issues, mobile problems, CWV flags. Free for qualifying sites. Pragmatic insights, not a pitch.