Search Console basics for service businesses

Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows how your website appears in search results. It tells you which searches bring people to your site, whether your pages are being indexed, and whether Google has found any problems. You do not need to be technical to get value from it.

Set it up once

Add your website as a property and verify that you own it. Verifying through your domain's DNS covers all versions of the address (with and without www, http and https) in one go. Verification is a one-time job, and you should keep it in place so the data keeps flowing.

Submit your sitemap

A sitemap is a list of the pages you want search engines to know about. If your website builds one automatically, submit its address in the Sitemaps section. It helps Google discover new pages sooner, although it does not guarantee they will be shown.

The Performance report: what people searched for

This is the report most owners find useful. It shows four numbers for each search term and each page:

• Impressions: how often your site appeared in results.
• Clicks: how often someone clicked through.
• Click-through rate: clicks divided by impressions.
• Average position: roughly where you appeared in the results.

Look for searches where you have many impressions but few clicks. Often the page title or description can be made clearer. Also look for searches you did not expect: they show what customers really call your service.

The Pages report: is Google indexing your pages?

This report lists which pages are indexed and which are not, with reasons. Some exclusions are normal, such as duplicate or redirected pages. Pay attention if an important page, like a service page, is listed as not indexed.

URL Inspection: check a single page

Paste any address from your site to see whether Google can find and index it, and request indexing after you publish or change something important.

A simple monthly routine

1. Check for new errors or warnings.
2. Review the top searches and pages from the last three months.
3. Improve the title and description of one page that gets impressions but few clicks.
4. Confirm your newest pages are indexed.

Small, regular improvements add up. If you want help turning these reports into a short to-do list, our digital marketing support can do that with you.