How do I set up and verify my website with Google Search Console for improved SEO?

Feb 04 • 1 min read

Knowledge Base > Analytics > How do I set up and verify my website with Google Search Console for improved SEO?

computer screen with search console analytics

Google Search Console is a free tool that helps you monitor your website’s performance in Google search results and provides data and insights to help you improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO). Setting up and verifying your website with Google Search Console involves the following steps:

  1. Go to the Google Search Console website and sign up for a free account.
  2. Add your website to the account by clicking the “Add a Property” button and entering your website’s URL.
  3. Choose a method to verify ownership of your website. This can be done by adding a unique HTML file to your website’s root directory, adding a DNS TXT record, or using a Google Analytics tracking code, among other methods.
    Once verification is complete, you can start using the Search Console to monitor your website’s performance in Google search results, check for crawl errors, and see which keywords and pages are driving traffic to your site.
  4. It’s important to regularly check and monitor your website’s performance in Google Search Console, as this information can help you identify any technical issues and make improvements to your website’s SEO.
  5. Additionally, Google Search Console can also help you monitor and respond to any security issues or spammy links that may be affecting your website’s ranking in search results.

If you’re using WordPress there are useful plugins you can use to integrate Search Console quickly.

Useful links:

Author

Kirill has been in the SEO industry since 2010 as a college intern commenting on forums and blog posts and other outdated SEO tactics. Those days are long gone and now he focuses on promoting a full-service approach to SEO where design, analytics, backlinks development and content are equally valued and managed by SEO specialists, since it takes a whole team to build a quality SEO-proof website. He writes on changes to the algorithm and different tactics and processes businesses can utilize to improve their SEO. Feel free to contact him on Linkedin if you'd like to get in touch!

Common Questions

  • Can I link Google Search Console to Google Analytics

    Yes you can and we highly recommend it. This way you can achieve:

    1. Improved tracking and analysis of organic search traffic: By linking the two tools, you can see the number of clicks and impressions your website is getting from organic search results in Google Analytics, along with information about which keywords and pages are driving the most traffic.
    2. Better understanding of how users interact with your website: You can see how much time users spend on your website, which pages they visit, and what actions they take, such as filling out a form or making a purchase.
    3. Improved ability to diagnose and fix technical issues: If there are any technical issues with your website, such as crawl errors or broken links, you can use the information provided by Google Search Console to identify and resolve the problem.
    4. Improved ability to track and improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO): By linking Google Search Console and Google Analytics, you can see how your website is performing in search results and use the information provided by both tools to make improvements to your SEO strategy.

  • What is the difference between impressions and clicks in Search Console?

    Impressions and clicks are two important metrics used in Google Search Console to track the performance of your website in search results.

    Impressions refer to the number of times a page from your website appears in Google search results. This means that even if a user doesn’t click on your website, an impression has still been recorded. Impressions give you an idea of how many times your website has been seen in search results, and can help you understand the visibility of your website.

    Clicks, on the other hand, refer to the number of times a user has clicked on a link to your website in Google search results. Clicks give you an idea of how many users are actually visiting your website, and can help you understand the popularity of your website.

  • What are some key errors to look for in Search Console?

    In Google Search Console, there are several types of crawl errors that can impact the performance of your website in search results. Here are some of the most impactful crawl errors:

    1. 404 errors: A 404 error occurs when a user tries to access a page on your website that doesn’t exist. This can be due to a broken link or a page that has been deleted. 404 errors can impact your website’s performance in search results because they indicate to search engines that there is broken content on your website.
    2. 500 errors: A 500 error occurs when there is a server-side issue that prevents a page from loading correctly. This type of error can impact your website’s performance in search results because it indicates to search engines that there may be technical issues with your website that need to be resolved.
    3. Soft 404 errors: A soft 404 error occurs when a page returns a “200 OK” response code, but the content of the page is not relevant to the user’s query. This can impact your website’s performance in search results because it may result in poor user experience and a lower click-through rate.
    4. Duplicate content: Duplicate content can occur when the same content is available on multiple URLs. This can impact your website’s performance in search results because search engines may not be able to determine which version of the content is the most relevant to the user’s query.
    5. Redirect chains: A redirect chain occurs when a user is redirected multiple times before reaching the final URL. This can impact your website’s performance in search results because it may result in a slower page load time and a poor user experience.

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