Is Google Search Console free?

Yes. Search Console is completely free for any site owner. There is no paid version.

How long after verifying will I see data?

Data usually starts appearing within a few days. Performance data typically runs about two days behind, and a brand-new site may show very little until Google has indexed some pages.

Should I choose a Domain or URL-prefix property?

Choose Domain if you can add a DNS TXT record. It covers all versions of your site in one place and is required for some newer features, such as the branded queries filter.

Why does my page say Crawled - currently not indexed?

Google visited the page but decided not to index it for now. Common causes are thin or duplicate content and weak internal linking. Improve the page, link to it from related pages, then request indexing once.

Does Request indexing make my page rank faster?

It can get a new or updated page crawled sooner, but it does not guarantee indexing or improve rankings. Ranking still depends on content quality, relevance and links.

Does Search Console show AI Overviews traffic?

Impressions and clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode are included in the overall Performance totals. Google began testing separate Generative AI performance reports in June 2026, starting with a subset of sites.

Why do Search Console clicks differ from GA4 visits?

Search Console counts clicks on Google results. GA4 counts sessions only when its tag loads and consent allows it. Some difference is normal; a very large gap usually means a tracking problem.

SEO & Audits

Google Search Console for Beginners: Setup, Reports and a 10-Minute Routine

By ITCM Team · Updated November 2026

Google Search Console is the only place Google tells you directly how your site appears in search: which searches show your pages, how often people click, which pages are not indexed and why. It is free, and for a small business it is more useful day to day than most paid SEO tools. This guide walks you through verification, sitemaps, the reports that matter, what changed in 2025 and 2026, and a 10-minute weekly routine you can actually keep.

Key takeaways

Choose a Domain property and verify it with a DNS TXT record. It covers every subdomain and both http and https.
Submit your sitemap once. You do not need to resubmit it every time you publish.
In the Performance report, read queries, clicks, impressions, CTR and average position together, never one number alone.
"Not indexed" is not always a problem. Redirects, duplicates and noindex pages are often excluded on purpose.
New since late 2025: custom chart annotations and a branded queries filter. Google began testing Generative AI performance reports in June 2026.
The FAQ rich result report was removed in June 2026, and FAQ rich results no longer appear in Google.
Search Console shows what happens before the click. GA4 shows what happens after it. You need both.

What is Google Search Console and who needs it?

Search Console is Google's free dashboard for site owners. It shows the searches your pages appear for, how often they are clicked, whether Google can crawl and index your pages, and problems with page speed, security or HTTPS.

Every business with a website should have it, even if someone else handles your SEO. It is your direct line to Google: manual actions and security issues are reported here first. Make sure the account is yours and add your web designer as a user, not the other way round.

How do I verify my site and submit a sitemap?

Go to search.google.com/search-console and add a property. You will be offered two types.

Pick Domain if you can edit your DNS. Copy the TXT record Google gives you into your DNS settings at your registrar or DNS host and click Verify. It can take a while to take effect. Our guide to DNS for business owners explains where those settings live.
Pick URL-prefix if you cannot touch DNS. Enter the full address including https:// and verify with an HTML tag or your existing Google Analytics tag.
Then open Indexing, Sitemaps, enter your sitemap address (often /sitemap.xml; on WordPress with Yoast it is usually /sitemap_index.xml) and submit. You want the status Success.
"Couldn't fetch" usually means the address is wrong, the file is blocked, or the server returned an error. Open the sitemap URL in your browser to check.

Property type	Covers	How to verify
Domain	All subdomains, http and https	DNS TXT record only
URL-prefix	One exact address only	HTML file, meta tag, GA or GTM

How do I read the Performance report?

Open Performance, Search results. The chart shows four metrics. Click each box to switch it on.

Clicks: how many times someone clicked through to your site from Google Search.
Impressions: how many times a link to your site appeared in results the person saw.
CTR (click-through rate): clicks divided by impressions. Low CTR on a page that ranks well often means a weak title or description; preview yours with our meta tag snippet preview tool.
Average position: the average top position of your site across those impressions. Position 8 means bottom of page one, on average.
Below the chart, the Queries tab shows the searches; Pages, Countries and Devices break the same numbers down. Use Compare in the date filter to see this month against last month.
Data goes back 16 months and usually runs a couple of days behind. Impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted inside these totals, not shown separately.

What is new in Search Console in 2025 and 2026?

Search Console changes slowly, but a few recent additions are useful for small businesses. Availability can vary by property, so check what your account shows.

Annotations: up to 200 per property, visible to everyone with access to the property, and deleted after 500 days. Mark redesigns, new pages and outages so you can explain changes later.
Branded filter: available only for top-level properties, not URL paths or subdomains. Non-brand clicks show whether new customers find you, not just people who already know your name.
Generative AI performance reports: Google started with a subset of sites, beginning in the UK. They show impressions by page, country, device and date. At launch they did not include clicks.

Feature	When	What it does
Custom annotations	Nov 2025	Add notes on the chart, such as site launch
Branded queries filter	Rolling out Mar 2026	Splits brand from non-brand searches
Gen AI performance reports	Testing from Jun 2026	Impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode
FAQ rich result report	Removed Jun 2026	Gone; FAQ rich results no longer show

What do the Page indexing reasons mean?

Indexing, Pages shows how many of your pages are indexed and lists reasons for the rest. Do not try to reach zero. Focus on pages that should rank: your home page, service pages, location pages and key guides.

Reason	What it means	What to do
Crawled - currently not indexed	Google saw it and chose not to index it yet	Improve content, add internal links
Discovered - currently not indexed	Google knows the URL but has not crawled it	Link to it, check site speed
Duplicate without user-selected canonical	Looks like another page	Set a canonical or merge pages
Alternate page with proper canonical tag	Points to another version	Usually fine
Excluded by noindex tag	The page asks not to be indexed	Remove noindex if it should rank
Not found (404)	Page no longer exists	Redirect if it had links or traffic
Page with redirect	URL redirects elsewhere	Fine if intended

How does the URL Inspection tool help?

Paste any URL from your site into the search bar at the top. Search Console tells you whether the page is indexed, when it was last crawled, which canonical Google chose, and any enhancements it found.

Click Test live URL after a fix to see what Google sees right now, including a screenshot of the rendered page. If the page is new or updated, click Request indexing. There is a daily limit, so use it for important pages, not for every small edit. Requesting does not guarantee indexing.

What do the Core Web Vitals and HTTPS reports show?

Core Web Vitals uses real visitor data from Chrome users and groups your URLs into Good, Needs improvement and Poor for mobile and desktop. The thresholds are LCP up to 2.5 seconds, INP up to 200 milliseconds (INP replaced FID in March 2024) and CLS up to 0.1. Low-traffic sites often see "not enough data", which is normal. Our Core Web Vitals guide explains the fixes.

The HTTPS report shows how many of your indexed pages are served over HTTPS and why any are not. Every page should be HTTPS; if visitors see a warning, follow how to fix the Not Secure warning.

Some reports beginners read about are gone. The Mobile Usability report and the Mobile-Friendly Test were retired in December 2023, and the FAQ rich result report was removed in June 2026. FAQPage schema can still help other search engines and AI tools, but Google no longer shows FAQ rich results for any site.

What is a good weekly 10-minute routine?

If something looks wrong, run our free website health check before you start changing pages.

Minute 1 to 2: check Overview and the email alerts for manual actions, security issues or a sudden drop.
Minute 3 to 5: Performance, last 28 days compared with the previous period. Note the top queries and any page that lost clicks.
Minute 6: look for queries in positions 5 to 15 with good impressions. Those are your quickest wins.
Minute 7 to 8: Indexing, Pages. Check that new pages got indexed and nothing important moved to Not indexed.
Minute 9: glance at Core Web Vitals and HTTPS for new Poor or non-HTTPS URLs.
Minute 10: add an annotation for anything you changed this week.

Search Console vs GA4: which one do I need?

Both, because they answer different questions. Search Console covers what happens in Google Search before the click. GA4 covers what visitors do on your site after it.

Question	Search Console	GA4
Which searches show my site?	Yes	Only if linked
Is my page indexed?	Yes	No
Which channel brings leads?	No	Yes
Did visitors call or book?	No	Yes, with key events
Traffic from social and email?	No	Yes
Cost	Free	Free

How ITCM uses Search Console on the sites it builds

On every site ITCM builds, we submit the sitemap, check the Page indexing report after launch and inspect the key service pages so they get indexed quickly. When we recover hacked WordPress sites, Search Console is often where the damage shows first: spam pages in the Pages report, strange queries in Performance, or a security issue warning. Cleaning the site is only half the job; we also confirm in Search Console that the spam URLs drop out.

If you prefer to do this yourself, the free routine above is enough for most small businesses. If your pages are indexed but still not getting clicks, read why your website isn't ranking.

Get a site that is ready for Google from day one

ITCM builds your website and installable app free first, with 24/7 online booking, lead management, an admin panel and three design options. You see it finished, and pay $150 one-time only if you are happy. Anything extra gets a fixed quote before any work begins.

See how the free build works.

Frequently asked questions

Is Google Search Console free?: Yes. Search Console is completely free for any site owner. There is no paid version.
How long after verifying will I see data?: Data usually starts appearing within a few days. Performance data typically runs about two days behind, and a brand-new site may show very little until Google has indexed some pages.
Should I choose a Domain or URL-prefix property?: Choose Domain if you can add a DNS TXT record. It covers all versions of your site in one place and is required for some newer features, such as the branded queries filter.
Why does my page say Crawled - currently not indexed?: Google visited the page but decided not to index it for now. Common causes are thin or duplicate content and weak internal linking. Improve the page, link to it from related pages, then request indexing once.
Does Request indexing make my page rank faster?: It can get a new or updated page crawled sooner, but it does not guarantee indexing or improve rankings. Ranking still depends on content quality, relevance and links.
Does Search Console show AI Overviews traffic?: Impressions and clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode are included in the overall Performance totals. Google began testing separate Generative AI performance reports in June 2026, starting with a subset of sites.
Why do Search Console clicks differ from GA4 visits?: Search Console counts clicks on Google results. GA4 counts sessions only when its tag loads and consent allows it. Some difference is normal; a very large gap usually means a tracking problem.

Get a website + app built for free

We build your website and mobile app first, and you see it finished. If you’re happy, you pay $150 one-time. If you’re not, you pay nothing.

See the $150 offer Free website audit

← All articles