How to set up Google Search Console, and what to do in the first 30 days
Measurement, reporting and GA4
6 min read
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Setting up Google Search Console takes one afternoon: add a property, verify that you own it, and, if you want, submit a sitemap. What takes longer is the waiting. On a new site the screen is nearly empty at first, and that is normal. Search Console is Google’s free tool for seeing which searches show your site, which pages are in the index and where they get stuck.
Google’s Search Console Help says data starts being collected as soon as a property is added, but it takes a few days to build up. The steps below follow Verify your site ownership, and the second half turns the waiting into a four-week reading plan.
Domain property or URL-prefix property?
You pick a property type when you add a site. The difference is how much of the site it covers:
- A Domain property gathers every subdomain and both the http and https versions into one. It can only be verified with a DNS record at your domain provider.
- A URL-prefix property covers only pages that begin with the exact address you type, so https://example.com and https://www.example.com are separate properties. Several verification methods work.
If you can reach your domain provider, a Domain property leaves fewer surprises. If not, starting with a URL-prefix property is fine. A site with a language folder, such as English pages under /en/, gets a bonus from the URL-prefix route: you can read each language on its own.
How can you verify ownership?
Joining a library works a bit like this. You show proof of address first, then the borrowing record starts empty and fills up over time. Verification is the proof, and the empty record is your first week in Search Console.
| Method | Who does it | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| HTML file upload | Whoever can upload files to the site | The file must stay at the given address, unchanged |
| HTML tag | Whoever can edit the homepage source | The tag goes in the head of the homepage |
| Google Analytics tracking code | Whoever has access to the Analytics account | Easy if the page already carries the code |
| Google Tag Manager | Whoever has access to the Tag Manager account | Easy if your site already uses it |
| Domain name provider (DNS) | Whoever manages the domain, or the company that does | The only route for a Domain property. Existing records stay untouched; one record is added |
A DNS change or a new plugin needs the clear agreement of whoever runs the site, so make sure they know. On WordPress, Google’s own plugin Site Kit can do the verification for you.
The Help page also says you can add more than one method and gives a reason: if a template changes and the tag disappears, verification can drop. A second method is cheap insurance.
Do you need a sitemap?
No. Google’s Sitemaps report page says a small site, roughly 500 pages or fewer, where every page can be reached by following links from the homepage, most likely does not need one. Hosts such as Squarespace or Wix may manage it for you. If you would still like to submit one:
- Open the sitemap address in a browser and check that it loads. The address is often listed in your SEO plugin’s settings.
- Open the Sitemaps report in Search Console.
- Enter the address in the field for adding a new sitemap and submit it.
- Check that the status reads Success.
Submitting a sitemap does not mean every page will be indexed. It only tells Google which pages to know about. Details are on the Sitemaps report page.
Whose account, and who gets which permission?
If an agency or developer builds your site, open the property under your own Google account. The Help page notes that if all verified owners lose access, every user loses access with them. A property left in an outsider’s account can become unreachable for you when they move on. Who the accounts belong to is one of the quote questions in how much does a website cost for a small business.
To add someone, go to Settings, then Users and permissions, and choose to add a user. If their job is only to read reports, a restricted user is enough. Ownership should stay with the real owner of the site.
What does the 30-day plan look like?
| Week | Do | Look at | Do not read into |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Property, verification, optional sitemap. Inspect the homepage | URL Inspection, Sitemaps | The empty first days on the Performance chart |
| 2 and 3 | Check which pages are and are not indexed | Page indexing, Performance | One query’s position on one day |
| 4 | Turn the list of queries into a decision list | Performance: Queries and Pages tabs | Ratios on rows with very few impressions |
Week 1: set-up and a first check
When verification is done, paste the homepage address into the search bar at the top. That opens the URL Inspection tool. The top card says either “URL is on Google” or “URL is not on Google”. If it says not, don’t worry yet: Test live URL tells you whether the page can be reached right now. Google’s URL Inspection tool page also reminds you that being on Google does not mean the page will appear in results.
You can request indexing, but there is a daily limit, so spend it on the homepage and two or three key pages first.
Weeks 2 and 3: what to read and what to ignore
The Page indexing report lists the addresses Google knows about and, for those left out, the reason. Not every excluded row is a problem: pages blocked by robots.txt, tagged noindex or duplicating another page are left out on purpose. What you check is whether something that should be there, such as a post you have just published, sits on the excluded list.
The Performance report shows the last three months by default. Its metrics are clicks, impressions, CTR and average position, and it has tabs for Queries and Pages. One note from Google’s Help matters here: a query in your list may not show your site when you search for it yourself, because results vary by person, place, device and history. Don’t judge a query from a single search.
Week 4: turning queries into a decision list
By now the Queries tab will hold a few rows. Give each one a single job. Take a fictional example, a newly opened driving school:
| Query | Page | To do | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| automatic driving lessons | Lessons | Add the phrase to the heading | Week 5 |
| theory test practice | (no page) | Plan a new post | Week 6 |
| choosing a driving school | Homepage | Add an internal link to Lessons | Week 5 |
If a query has impressions but no clicks, review the title and description. If there is no page for it, you have found a content idea. Keep the list short enough to finish; a long list nobody works through is forgotten by next month. To make this reading routine monthly, see our measurement, reporting and GA4 page.
Why don't Search Console and GA4 numbers match?
They do not count the same thing. Search Console counts how often your site was shown in results and how many clicks it got. GA4 measures what visitors do once they have reached the site. Someone can click and leave before the page loads, decline cookies, or arrive from another source. Don’t expect the two tables to agree; use one to read intent and the other to read behaviour. The Search Console section of GA4 setup step by step covers linking the two. If you are redesigning a site, how to avoid SEO loss when redesigning your website covers monitoring.
Frequently asked questions
How do you set up Google Search Console?
Choose a property type and add your site, verify ownership with one of the methods, and submit a sitemap if you wish. On WordPress a plugin such as Site Kit can ease verification. Once verified the tool works, but the reports take a few days to start filling in, so give it some time before judging what you see.
How long does Search Console take to show data?
Data is collected from the moment the property is added, but Google says it takes a few days to build up. If a few days after verification there is still nothing, the site may not have appeared in Google Search yet, or the wrong address may have been entered, for example http instead of https.
How do you add a sitemap to Search Console?
Open the Sitemaps report, enter the sitemap address and submit, then check that the status reads Success. Your SEO plugin usually gives you the address. Small sites don’t have to: Google says that if every page can be reached by links from the homepage, you most likely don’t need one.
What is the difference between a Domain property and a URL-prefix property?
A Domain property gathers all subdomains and protocols in one place and is verified through DNS. A URL-prefix property covers only pages beginning with the address you enter and can be verified in several ways. If you want to follow language folders separately, the URL-prefix type is the one that helps.
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