Google Search Console
Search performance
Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows how your website performs in search. It reveals which keywords you appear for, how many people click, which pages Google has indexed, and what technical or indexing problems are holding the site back.
How Google Search Console works
Once you verify ownership of your site, Search Console gives you data straight from Google search. Unlike Analytics, which tracks how people behave on your site, Search Console shows what happens before the click: which queries your pages appear for, at what position, and how many people actually click.
The tool also communicates with Google both ways. Through Search Console you submit a sitemap, request a recrawl of a page, and receive alerts whenever Google hits an indexing error, a mobile issue, or a manual penalty.
What you use Search Console for in practice
Search Console is the first tool every website should have. The performance report shows the real keywords you appear for, including ones you never targeted. These are often the cheapest opportunities to gain more traffic with a small content tweak.
The second major area is technical health. If Google doesn’t index some of your pages, they simply don’t exist in the results and no amount of SEO will save them. Search Console tells you exactly which pages are in the index and why the others aren’t.
- See the exact queries, positions, clicks, and click-through rate (CTR).
- Check which pages are indexed and which Google has skipped.
- Submit a sitemap and request crawling of new or updated content.
- Get alerts for errors, penalties, and usability issues.
Want to know why Google isn’t finding you?
Explore our SEO servicesFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Search Console and Google Analytics?
Search Console shows what happens in Google search before the click: queries, positions, and indexing. Google Analytics measures how people behave after they reach your site. Ideally you use them together, as they complement each other.
Is Google Search Console free?
Yes, Search Console is completely free and Google provides it to every site owner. You just verify ownership of the domain and gain access to data directly from the search engine.
How do I add my site to Search Console?
You add it as a new property and verify ownership, most often through a domain DNS record, a file on the server, or a link with Google Analytics. After verification, data starts collecting and you see the first reports within a few days.