Understand your Website Performance on Google Search
Overview
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool offered by Google that provides valuable insights into your website's performance on the search engine.
If you're not already using it, you're missing out on a goldmine of data that can significantly impact your online success. Let's explore why every business should be leveraging GSC.
Google Indexing
When you deploy your website on the internet, it's important to ensure that your content is indexed by Google. Google indexing is basically how you ensure your website is present in search results.
Google is a search engine, and when people search for information on the internet, it is only contents that are indexed by Google that are shown. If you website content is not indexed, it will not be found by Google, only people who have your website address will be able to find it.
Search Performance
It is not enough to have your business website indexed by Google Search. You have to ensure when your customers search for goods and services related to your business, your content shows up first, or atleast is amogst the top performing search results.
If your website not ranked highly in search results, your potential customers will be talking to your competitors instead of your business. The strategies your employ to ensure your website ranks high in search results is what is referred to as Search Engine Optimization. This will be discussed in a later post.
Google Search Console
Having understood how your content shows up in search results and why optimising your search ranking is important, let's dive into Google Search Console. Google provides this free tool for businesses to track and analyze their website performance on the search engine. Below are some of the search performance insights we can gain from Google Search Console.
- Indexing Status: Using the search console, you can verify the indexing status of your website, and even specifically request pages of your website to be indexed. This ensures faster indexing rather than waiting for Google to automatically index them.
- Search Ranking: You can monitor how your pages are ranking in search results. This way, you get to know what works in your search optimisation efforts and what needs improvement.
- Measure Traffic: You can measure organic and advertisement traffic. Gain insights into metrics such as clicks, impressions, and click-through rate.
- Discover Search Terms: You get to see popular search terms that most people use to find your business. This can help you with your optimisation efforts; refining keyword strategy and improving your content.
- Track Backlinks: Backlinks are links from other websites to yours. It is a common marketing strategy, where you partner with third party websites to embed your website link in their content. You can track your backlinks traffic from your search console.
- Discover Technical Issues: Google will will notify you when it encounters issue related to your website indexing and search performance. Tracking and fixing these issues will improve your website visibility and performance.
Getting Started
Google Search Console is free and can be accessed from the Google Search Console website. As a business owner or manager, GSC is an invaluable tool for the online success of your business. If you or a member of your team have the skill and time to use this tool, you're well on your way. If you don't have the skill or time, you can contact us for our we can help you.