Google Search Console is the only free, first-party source for measuring how your site actually performs in Google Search. Analytics sees a visitor only after they land on a page; Search Console tells you what people searched for, which query surfaced your site, and whether they clicked — all before they ever arrive. In this guide we'll build a practical workflow, from setting the tool up to correctly reading performance, coverage and query data.
Setting up and verifying the account
The first step is adding your site as a "property." There are two types:
- Domain property — gathers all subdomains and protocols (http/https, www/non-www) for something like
aslain.devunder one roof. It requires DNS verification: you add a TXT record at your registrar. - URL-prefix property — covers only one exact address such as
https://aslain.dev/. It can be verified via an HTML file, a meta tag, or Google Analytics.
As a rule, set up a domain property when you can, because it stops traffic from being split across www and non-www. If you prefer meta-tag verification, add this line inside the page's <head>:
<meta name="google-site-verification" content="YOUR_VERIFICATION_CODE" />After verification, it takes a few days for data to accumulate; an almost-empty panel during the first 48 hours is perfectly normal.
Reading the Performance report
The Performance report is the heart of the panel and is read through four metrics:
- Impressions — how many times your site appeared in search results.
- Clicks — how many times those results were clicked.
- CTR — the click-through rate, that is clicks divided by impressions.
- Average position — your mean ranking across queries.
Interpret these together, never in isolation. High impressions but low CTR usually means your title and meta description aren't compelling, or your ranking sits below the top of page one. Queries that have plenty of impressions and an average position around 8–15 are your "quickest win" opportunities: small content improvements can push them into the top 5.
Filter the data by date, query, page, country and device. Compare two tabs in particular: the Queries tab shows what people typed, while the Pages tab shows which URLs carry that traffic. To combine them, pick a page first, then switch to the Queries tab; you'll see exactly which words that page actually ranks for.
Turning query data into strategy
The query list isn't just a report — it's a content roadmap. Look for these patterns:
- Queries with impressions but no clicks — Google finds you relevant, but the user clicks someone else. This is a signal to write a separate, deeper piece for those terms.
- Queries you didn't expect — if you rank for a topic you never wrote about, there's an opportunity for a new section or article that fully serves that intent.
- Non-brand long tail — specific three- or four-word queries are low-competition and usually convert better.
A practical loop: once a month list the 10 queries with the most impressions but the lowest CTR, update the title and meta description of the relevant pages to include those words, then measure the CTR change for the same queries next month.
Indexing and the Pages (coverage) report
If a page hasn't been crawled and indexed by Google, it never appears in search. The Indexing > Pages report splits every URL into two groups: indexed and not indexed. Common reasons for the latter:
- "Crawled - currently not indexed" — Google saw the page but didn't find it valuable; usually a thin-content or near-duplicate issue.
- "Discovered - currently not indexed" — it's queued but not yet crawled; on large sites this relates to crawl budget.
- "Excluded by noindex tag" — the page carries a
noindexdirective, intentionally or by mistake. - "Alternate page with proper canonical tag" — Google chose a copy of this URL as the primary version.
To inspect a single address, use the URL Inspection tool at the top. It shows whether the page is indexed, its last crawl date and its mobile usability. If you just updated the content, the "Request indexing" button can trigger a re-crawl; this isn't guaranteed ranking, only a faster place in the queue.
Guiding Google with sitemaps and robots
The cleanest way to tell Google which pages matter is an XML sitemap. Submit it from the Sitemaps section:
https://aslain.dev/sitemap.xmlA sitemap should contain only the canonical URLs you want indexed; don't include noindex pages or redirects. The companion file robots.txt manages crawling but is not an indexing block; to remove a page from search, add a noindex tag rather than blocking it in robots.txt, because Google can still list a blocked page through external links.
Experience and enhancement reports
Search Console now reports speed and usability in the Core Web Vitals report. Watch three metrics: LCP for loading, INP for interaction responsiveness (it replaced the old FID), and CLS for visual shift. The report is based on real-user data, so your changes may need the full 28-day window to surface here. If you've added structured data (for example article or FAQ schema), the related Enhancements reports list valid and invalid items separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Search Console and Analytics?
Search Console measures search behaviour before users reach your site (impressions, queries, ranking); Google Analytics measures behaviour inside the site (sessions, page views, conversions). They complement each other, and good SEO decisions require reading both together.
Why doesn't my data match Analytics?
It's completely normal. Search Console counts a click from the search result and rounds some data for privacy; Analytics counts a page load. Because of different time zones, filtering and sampling, the numbers rarely match exactly.
How do I fix the "Discovered - not indexed" warning?
Usually it's enough to strengthen the content, add internal links to the page, and make sure it's in the sitemap. Rather than pressing a button and waiting, ensure the page genuinely offers unique value.
Want your site to claim the place it deserves on Google? For technical SEO setup, a Search Console audit and a content strategy, get in touch with me — let's read your data together and build a concrete growth plan.