Google Search Console: A Beginner’s Guide
How familiar are you with Google Search Console (GSC)? As active-duty military service members or veterans looking to start an online business, it’s high time you befriended this essential tool. But don’t worry, we’ve got your back!
Introduction to Google Search Console
Imagine a dashboard that gives you a clear view of your website’s performance, its standing in Google’s eyes, and ways to optimize it for better visibility. That’s Google Search Console for you!
How Google Search Console Can Empower Your Business
When it comes to online businesses, information is power. Google Search Console is a treasure trove of insights that can propel your business to new heights.
Boost Your Website’s Visibility
GSC can help identify how often your site appears in Google Search, which queries show your site, and how many people click through for those queries.
Monitor Your Site’s Performance
From data about your site’s organic search traffic to the devices people use to access your site, GSC offers a wealth of performance data.
Identify and Resolve Issues
GSC can alert you about critical issues that can impact your site’s performance in search results, helping you quickly resolve them.
Setting Up Google Search Console
Before you can tap into this treasure trove of data, you need to set up your GSC account. Fret not; it’s a straightforward process!
Step-by-step Guide
First things first, visit the GSC website and sign in with your Google account. Once you’re in, you’ll be prompted to ‘add a property,’ which is essentially your website URL. After you add your website, Google Search Console will ask you to verify ownership.
Verification Process
The verification process involves adding a unique code to your website’s home page. There are several ways to do this, and Google will guide you through them. Pick the one that suits you best. Once you’ve completed this step, you’re in! Welcome to the world of GSC.
Mastering the Basics of Google Search Console
GSC might look a bit daunting at first. There’s a wealth of data and a whole bunch of menus to navigate. But, like any great tool, once you get to grips with it, you’ll be flying!
Dashboard Overview
On the left side of your screen, you’ll see a sidebar menu with different sections such as ‘Performance,’ ‘URL Inspection,’ ‘Coverage,’ and so on. Each of these provides essential data about different aspects of your site.
Exploring Key Features
The ‘Performance’ tab is your first stop. It provides insights into how your website is performing in search results — which pages are getting the most clicks, which search queries are leading people to your site, and so on.
Diving Deeper in Google Search Console: Understanding Reports and Data
To truly harness the power of Google Search Console, you need to understand the reports and data it provides.
Performance Reports
These reports detail your site’s search traffic and performance, like how many clicks your site received from Google Search, how many impressions (times your site’s pages were viewed), and your site’s click-through rate (CTR).
Index Coverage Report
The Index Coverage report provides insights into which pages on your site are indexed (included in Google’s search results), any problems encountered, and how to fix them.
Mobile Usability Report
With mobile traffic dominating the web, the Mobile Usability report helps identify any issues that might impact your site’s usability on mobile devices.
Using Google Search Console for SEO Optimization
Now, let’s get down to the real business-using Google Search Console for SEO optimization.
Finding and Using Keywords
In the ‘Performance’ report, you can find out which search queries are leading people to your site. These are your current ‘winning’ keywords. By optimizing your content around these keywords, you can further boost your site’s visibility.
Sitemap Submission
A sitemap is a file where you provide information about the pages, videos, and other files on your site, and the relationships between them. You can submit your sitemap to Google Search Console to help Google better crawl and index your site.
Managing URL Parameters in Google Search Console
With Google Search Console, you can indicate the purpose of the parameters you use on your site, helping Google crawl your site more efficiently.
Conclusion and Your Next Steps
GSC might seem like a beast at first glance, but once you start using it, you’ll realize it’s an invaluable ally in your journey to online business success. Now that you know the basics, it’s time to dive in and explore!
So, what are you waiting for? Get started with GSC today and watch your online business soar to new heights. This is your call to action, and the time to act is now!
Originally published at https://www.corranforce.com on July 28, 2023.
