Many site owners underestimate Google Search Console, but you can use it to boost your SEO by monitoring performance and fixing issues.
Set up and verify your property using a domain or URL-prefix method, add the DNS TXT record or upload the verification file, and submit your sitemap to help Google discover your pages.
Use the Performance report to analyze clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position. Filter by queries, pages, countries, and devices to find underperforming pages and keywords to optimize.
Inspect URLs to check index status, crawl date, and any indexing problems. Request indexing after you fix a page or publish new content to prompt a re-crawl.
Check the Coverage report for errors, warnings, valid pages, and exclusions. Prioritize fixing server errors, 404s, and redirect issues to restore indexability for important pages.
Review the Sitemaps section to confirm submission status and processed URLs. Update sitemaps when you add or remove many pages and use index sitemaps for large sites.
Explore Enhancements for mobile usability, Core Web Vitals, and structured data results. Fix mobile and speed issues, correct structured data errors, and validate fixes to improve page experience signals.
Use the Links report to inspect internal and external linking. Increase internal links to priority pages, fix broken internal links, and pursue quality backlinks for your best content.
Monitor Security & Manual Actions to detect penalties or hacked content. If you find a manual action, follow the guidance to resolve issues and submit a reconsideration request after remediation.
Set up email alerts and check Search Console weekly. Compare performance trends against site updates, export reports for deeper analysis, and combine GSC data with Google Analytics to measure impact.
Prioritize tasks by traffic potential: improve pages with high impressions and low CTR, fix errors on indexed pages first, and track changes over time to validate SEO gains.