Google Search Console
Google's free tool for monitoring your site's search performance and fixing indexing issues.
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool from Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site's presence in Google Search results. Every website owner should be using it — it's the closest thing to a direct line of communication with Google.
Key features include: the Performance report (showing clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position for your queries), the Coverage report (showing which pages are indexed and which have errors), the URL Inspection tool (for checking individual pages), and the ability to submit sitemaps.
GSC also alerts you to issues like manual penalties, security problems, mobile usability issues, and Core Web Vitals problems. It's your early warning system for anything going wrong with your site's search presence.
Setting it up takes minutes — you just need to verify you own your domain. You can verify through DNS, HTML file upload, meta tag, Google Analytics, or Google Tag Manager. DNS verification is the most reliable method.
Why It Matters for SEO
GSC provides data you can't get anywhere else — actual search queries driving traffic to your site, indexing status, and direct feedback from Google. It's essential for diagnosing SEO issues and understanding your search performance.