Website audit
Google Search Console Guide: How to Use It to Fix Your SEO
August 22, 20268 min readBy Prospetra Team
Google Search Console (GSC) tells you exactly what Google thinks of your website — which pages it can find, which keywords you show up for, and which pages are broken or not indexed. It's the most honest view of your SEO you can get, and most of it is a few clicks from insight. Here's the beginner's guide to using it, from verifying the site to turning its reports into fixes.
Verify your site in Search Console first
Before GSC shows you anything, it needs to confirm the site is yours. Add your property (the domain — it covers all subdomains and protocols), then verify with a DNS TXT record, an HTML file, or a meta tag. Verification usually takes effect within minutes.
If you haven't added it yet, do that before reading on — almost every fix below starts from a Search Console report. And once it's set up, submit your XML sitemap so Google knows which pages matter.
The reports that matter most
GSC has a lot of tabs, but these four tell you nearly everything you need to know about your SEO health.
| Report | What it tells you | What to do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Impressions, clicks, and average position for every query and page. | Find pages ranking 5–50 on relevant keywords — those are your easiest wins. Rewrite titles/CTAs and add internal links. |
| Pages (Indexing) | Which of your pages Google indexed, and why others aren't. | Fix pages showing 'Crawled – currently not indexed' or 'Discovered – not indexed' by improving content and internal links. |
| URL Inspection | How Google sees a single URL — index status, last crawl, canonical. | Run important URLs through it to confirm they're indexed and to test the fix. |
| Core Web Vitals | Real-user LCP, INP, and CLS for your pages. | Fix the slowest pages first — speed is a ranking factor and a conversion factor. |
Turn 'not indexed' pages into indexed pages
The most common GSC worry is pages that Google didn't index. Here's the usual path to fixing them:
- Check the reason in the Pages report — the status text usually points at the fix.
- For 'Crawled – currently not indexed': the page likely has thin content or no internal links. Beef up the content and link to it from a stronger page.
- For 'Discovered – not indexed': Google found the URL but hasn't crawled it. Request indexing via URL Inspection, then make sure it's linked internally and in the sitemap.
- For 'Excluded by noindex': the page is intentionally or accidentally blocked — remove the noindex tag if you want it found.
- Wait — re-crawling takes time. Give the fix a week or two before checking again.
Use the Performance report to find easy ranking wins
The Performance report is where you find quick, low-effort wins. Sort by impressions and look for two patterns: queries with lots of impressions but a low average position (Google is already testing you — improve the page to break into page one), and pages ranking near the top that could climb with a small push (better title, meta description, or internal links).
A page sitting at position 8–20 on a query you care about is your best SEO opportunity. It's not a new topic to target — it's an existing page that needs a focused improvement to reach page one.
Make Search Console part of a regular rhythm
Search Console is most powerful when you check it weekly, not once a quarter. Bookmark the Performance and Pages reports, review coverage changes, and fix any sudden drop the week it appears rather than the quarter after.
Pair it with your own free scored audit to confirm what GSC surfaces: GSC tells you what Google sees, while a scored audit tells you what's actually wrong and what to fix first. Together they point at the same handful of issues. Then work through the full 47-point website audit checklist and track your website health score over time.
Frequently asked questions
What is Google Search Console?+
A free Google tool that shows how Google crawls, indexes, and ranks your site — which pages it can find, which keywords you appear for, and which pages are broken. It's the most direct view of your SEO performance.
How do I add my site to Google Search Console?+
Sign in, add your property (the domain covers all subdomains and protocols), then verify ownership with a DNS TXT record, an HTML file, or a meta tag. Verification usually takes effect within minutes.
Why is my website not showing in Google?+
Usually an indexing problem — check the Pages report in Search Console for the reason. The most common causes are thin content, missing internal links, or a page not yet crawled. Fix the cause, request indexing, and wait a week or two.
How do I use Search Console to improve SEO?+
Use the Performance report to find pages ranking 5–50 on relevant queries (your easiest wins), the Pages report to fix indexing problems, and the Core Web Vitals report to fix slow pages. Check it weekly.