Google Search Console (GSC) is a free SEO tool that allows you to track the health and performance of your site. You use it to help improve your visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).
For example:
You could use it to track metrics that detail changes in your search traffic so you know which strategies are working and which aren’t.
This is what one of your reports might look like:
You want to improve these numbers to get more organic traffic from Google. Because more traffic means more leads and conversions. In other words, more sales and signups.
As a byproduct, it may also get you more traffic on Bing and other search engines.
What you can use Google Search Console for
You can use Google Search Console to:
- Check your site’s performance on Google
- Check the pages that Google can already find and index
- Submit your sitemap and individual URLs for crawling and indexing
- Identify technical SEO issues to optimize your website
First, log in to Search Console with your Google account. The first time you log in, you’ll see this popup:
Choose between two options: Add a domain or a URL prefix. Follow the steps in our guide to learn more about each path.
Next, you can connect GSC to your SEO dashboard . You’ll see this interactive graph showing total clicks, total impressions, average click-through rate (CTR), and average ranking position:
This way, you can access your site’s relevant SEO metrics and insights in one central location.
2. Google Analytics for website performance
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a free analytics platform that tracks the performance of your website or app. Think of metrics like bounce rate or dwell time .
You can use these analytics reports to better inform your digital marketing efforts and SEO priorities.
Here’s what your GA4 dashboard might look like, with metrics like new users and event count:
Note: This screenshot is from a demo account which you can access here .
If Google Search Console focuses on search engines, Google Analytics focuses on users.
Metrics will reveal how easy it is to navigate your site. In other words, it measures the quality of your user experience (UX).
What you can do with Google Analytics
Google Analytics works in three phases:
- Collect data from your website
- Process that data
- Generate a report
Use these data-driven reports to spot issues and inform future SEO decisions.
As?
One way is to understand which pages are attracting the most traffic. Then, refine the process by adding new pages.
Sign in to your Google Account, then head to the Google Analytics homepage . Click ” Get started today ” in the top right corner.
Follow the steps in our guide to complete the next three sections and create your GA account. This will vary depending on your content management system (e.g. WordPress).
Once you’re done, you’ll be able to access all of your site’s important metrics, such as new users and average engagement time.
