Set up Google Search Console

You can use the Google Search Console to check the indexing status and optimize the visibility of your site. This service is provided by Google free of charge and allows you to:

  • Build and submit a site map – this will allow you to decide which pages should be crawled by Google
  • Review and set the Googlebot crawl rate – view information about how Google accesses your site
  • Create and test robots.txt files – find out whether a file blocks Google web crawls from specific URLs
  • View internal and external pages that link to your site
  • View broken links for your site
  • Find out what Google keyword searches bring up your site in the results pages, as well as the click through rates
  • View statistics on how Google indexes your site
  • Set a preferred domain for how the URL is displayed in the results pages

To start using Google Search Console, follow the steps below.

Set up a Google Account

Create a Google account by visiting www.google.com, click “Create an account” and fill in the information.

Set up Google Search Console

Visit https://search.google.com/search-console/about and sign in with your account.

Note: if you have a Google Analytics account, use this here.

Once you’re logged in, enter your website URL on the main page enter the domain or URL prefix. You will be asked to verify the URL is owned by you.

To verify your Google Search Console, open up your site editor and select the info button. Right click on the Site Name and select “Save link as.”

Return to your Google Search Console welcome page and paste the domain. Click Continue.

This will open up a “Verify ownership” popup. Under “Other verification methods” select ‘HTML tag.’ Follow the instructions by copying the meta tag provided.

Return to your site editor and under Settings select “Header HTML.” Paste the copied meta tag here and click save. Then republish your site.

Return to your Google Search Console, click “Verify.”

Verification will be checked and if everything was done correctly you will see a popup stating “Ownership verified.”

Once this is complete, your Google Search Console will be set up.

Note: It may take a few days for data to appear.