There are hundreds of SEO tools available. We've already written an article about the 10 best SEO tools, and today we will explain how to use Google Search Console in your SEO analysis!
What is Google Search Console?
If you had to choose just one tool for analyzing your website's organic search performance, the Google Search Console would be that tool. It provides insights and a wealth of data! Google Search Console can assist you in monitoring your rankings and improving them over time by helping you identify issues that may prevent a page from being crawled, for example.
A Google Tracking Tool
Google Search Console is a daily performance report of your website's SEO on the Google search engine. It gives you a comprehensive overview of all aspects related to your domain regarding:
- Indexing of your website's pages
- Daily impressions count
- Ranking for key searches
- Click-through rate
But also for SEO
Beyond simply tracking your analytics, Google Search Console can help you enhance your SEO in a more technical way. Having a broad view of your data will enable you to make better strategic decisions concerning your SEO efforts! Don’t work blindly; base your actions on data.
But don't stop there: also add relevant data to help both Google and end users better understand your site and its content, such as adding sitemap files!
This tool also allows you to keep an eye on your internal and external links with a detailed report on their source and destination.
Is the tool free?
Yes! Like many tools offered by Google, the Google Search Console is a free tool. It’s a great alternative to tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, or Ryte! (Which still remain complementary in larger SEO strategies)
How to Use the Tool for SEO Tracking
Whenever you mention the term "SEO," hundreds of options come to mind. However, when it comes to selecting a tool that best suits your business, it's not as simple as choosing the most popular one. Here, we explain why GSC is the primary SEO tool you should consider using, whether you're an algorithm giant or a small blogger starting in online marketing.
Tracking Impressions and Keyword Analysis
An impression is the number of times a link from your website appears on a search engine results page. It's how many times your website is presented to potential customers and visitors!
With Google Search Console, you can maintain an overview of your site's impressions and also get more precise data by adding filters (dates, pages, etc.). This allows you to see which keywords frequent visitors are landing on pages of your site and thus help you develop strategies for those keywords.
Monitoring the Indexing of Your Site's Pages
In the "Content" section, you can easily check how many of your site's pages are indexed by search engines. Having a lot of content is great, but if it takes time to create those pages only for them to be unindexed, that’s pointless! Closely tracking this metric will help you adjust your content strategy if your content isn't indexed.
Pro tip: If you've just launched a page and want to expedite its indexing, you can use this feature to accelerate your page's review and its indexing by Google's algorithms!
Caution: Performing such technical tweaks is not sufficient alone. Your page must also adhere to best practices for indexing: secure, authentic content, fast loading times, etc...
Monitoring Click-Through Rate
Lastly, keep an eye on your click-through rate in Google's SERPs! This is the last metric I recommend you closely monitor with GSC: the CTR!
You've managed to position your pages on a series of specific and popular keywords! Your total views have increased at an incredible rate. Now, you must convert those views into clicks to boost traffic to your site. Watch the "clicks" / "impressions" ratio to assess whether your title and meta description drive action!
Bonus: Search Console Insights
1 + 1 = 3
By connecting your Search Console to your Google Analytics, you gain access to a fantastic blend of data! Search Console Insights (currently still in open beta) provides insights that summarize the main metrics of your site's positioning tracking in easy-to-read dashboards.
- the performance of your content
- your most popular pages
- the origin of your visitors (SEO, media, direct, etc.)
- Your rankings (exact positions) for keywords!
Want to Learn More About SEO?
Are you looking to learn new things about search engine optimization? Visit Digidop's blog and activate the "SEO" filter to access an enormous collection of content (100% free), directly applicable to your SEO strategy.
