● The short answer
Verify your site, then check three reports monthly: Performance (which searches show your site and how many people click), Page indexing (which pages Google has and why some are missing) and Core Web Vitals. Search Console is free, comes straight from Google, and keeps about 16 months of search data. It is the most honest SEO report you will get.
Key takeaways
- Search Console is free, comes directly from Google, and keeps about 16 months of performance data.
- Set up a Domain property and add your agency as a user instead of sharing passwords.
- Impressions, clicks, CTR and average position tell different stories; read them together.
Why it is worth 15 minutes a month
Google Search Console is Google telling you, directly, how it sees your site: which searches you appear for, how often people click, which pages are indexed, and what is broken. Third-party tools estimate. Search Console reports. It is free, and it keeps roughly 16 months of performance history, so you can compare this month with the same month last year. Bing has an equivalent, Bing Webmaster Tools, that is worth setting up too.
The how is where we come in.
What we walk through with you, for your business:
- Getting set up
- The four numbers in the Performance report
- A 15-minute monthly routine
- Our take
Every business is different, so the plan is too. Tell us where you want to show up and we will show you what it takes.
Talk to usMore questions
Why doesn't Search Console match Google Analytics?
They measure different things. Search Console counts clicks from Google Search results; Analytics counts sessions on your site, which can be blocked by consent banners, ad blockers or slow page loads. Some queries are also hidden for privacy. Expect the numbers to differ and focus on trends in each.
What does 'Crawled, currently not indexed' mean?
Google fetched the page and chose not to add it to the index for now. It is usually a quality or duplication judgment, not a technical error. Improve the page so it offers something distinct, link to it from relevant pages, or merge it into a stronger page if it overlaps.
Sources
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