How to Use Google Search Console: A Plain English Guide for Small Businesses

What Is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools) is a free tool from Google that shows you how your website is performing in Google Search. It tells you which keywords bring people to your site, which pages Google has indexed, any errors Google found crawling your site, and how many people click through to you from search results.

If you have a website and you are not using Google Search Console, you are flying blind. It is the only source of direct data from Google about your actual search performance.

Why Small Businesses Should Use Google Search Console

Most small business owners assume Google just finds their website automatically and ranks it fairly. In reality, Google may be crawling your site and finding errors, missing pages, or duplicate content that is quietly hurting your rankings — and you would have no way of knowing without Search Console.

Search Console tells you:

• Which search queries are bringing people to your site (and which pages they land on)
• Your average position for each keyword
• How many people saw your result vs clicked it (click-through rate)
• Pages Google cannot crawl or index
• Whether your site is mobile-friendly
• Core Web Vitals scores (page speed and experience)
• Whether you have any manual penalties from Google

How to Set Up Google Search Console

Step 1: Go to search.google.com/search-console

Sign in with the Google account you use for your business. Click “Add property.”

Step 2: Add Your Property

Choose “Domain” (recommended) and enter your domain without https:// — for example, oopdesign.com.au. This covers all versions of your site in one property.

Step 3: Verify Ownership

Google needs to confirm you own the site. The easiest method if you use WordPress:

• Install the Yoast SEO plugin (free)
• Go to Yoast then General then Webmaster Tools
• Paste your Google verification code into the Google field
• Save and click “Verify” in Search Console

Step 4: Submit Your Sitemap

Once verified, go to Sitemaps in the left menu and submit your sitemap URL. For WordPress with Yoast, this is usually yoursite.com.au/sitemap_index.xml. This tells Google exactly which pages you want indexed.

The 5 Reports You Actually Need to Check

1. Performance Report

This is the most important report. It shows your impressions (how many times your site appeared in results), clicks, click-through rate, and average position.

What to look for: pages with high impressions but low clicks. If a page appears 1,000 times per month but only gets 5 clicks, your title tag and meta description are failing. Fix them and your traffic goes up without any ranking improvement needed.

2. Coverage Report

Shows which pages Google has indexed and which have errors. Common issues:

• “Crawled – currently not indexed” — Google found the page but decided not to index it. Usually means thin content.
• “Discovered – currently not indexed” — Google has not crawled it yet. Add internal links pointing to it.
• “Excluded by noindex tag” — You have told Google not to index it. Check if this is intentional.

3. Core Web Vitals

Google uses page experience as a ranking factor. This report flags pages that are too slow, have layout shifts, or poor interactivity. Any “Poor” URLs need fixing before they hurt your rankings.

4. Mobile Usability

Shows pages with mobile display problems. With over 60% of searches now on mobile, these errors directly hurt rankings.

5. Links Report

Shows which external sites link to you (backlinks) and your internal link structure. Useful for finding pages with no internal links pointing to them — these are hard for Google to find and rank.

How to Find Quick SEO Wins With Search Console

Find Keywords on Page 2 Worth Pushing to Page 1

1. Go to Performance then Search Results
2. Click “Average position” to show that column
3. Filter by position: greater than 10, less than 20
4. Sort by impressions descending

These are keywords where you are almost on page 1. A targeted content improvement on those pages can push them over.

Find Pages With High Impressions But Low CTR

1. Go to Performance then Pages tab
2. Sort by click-through rate ascending
3. Look for pages with 500+ impressions and under 2% CTR

Rewrite the title tag and meta description for those pages. A better title means more clicks without any extra ranking work needed.

Google Search Console vs Google Analytics

They serve different purposes and you need both:

• Search Console — shows what happens before the click: impressions, rankings, search queries, technical issues
• Google Analytics — shows what happens after the click: sessions, bounce rate, conversions, time on site

Need Someone to Read It for You?

Search Console gives you the data. Knowing what to do with it is a different skill. The team at Oop Design runs regular Search Console audits as part of our SEO services on the Sunshine Coast. If you would like us to review your data and identify what to fix first, get in touch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Search Console free?

Yes, completely free. You only need a Google account and ownership of a website.

How long does it take for data to appear in Search Console?

Initial data can take 2-3 days after verification. Performance data has a delay of 2-3 days. Historical data only goes back 16 months.

How often should I check Search Console?

At minimum, once a month. Check the Coverage report for new errors and the Performance report to track progress on your target keywords.

My site has errors in Search Console — will it be penalised?

Not automatically. Crawl errors reduce how effectively Google can index your site but they are not penalties. Fix them promptly but do not panic — they are common and fixable.

What is a manual action in Search Console?

A manual action is a human-reviewed penalty from Google. It means a Google employee found your site violates their guidelines. Most sites never receive one. Check the Manual Actions report regularly to be sure.