Google Search Console Guide for Beginners

By Suman, Founder, Digital Agency Delhi (Rohini, New Delhi)

Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that shows how your website performs in search. It tells you which searches show your pages, how many clicks you get, which pages are indexed, and what errors Google finds. This Google Search Console guide shows beginners how to set it up and use the key reports each month.

What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console is a free tool that shows how Google sees your website. It is one of the most useful tools for any business that wants to grow through search.

It does not bring traffic by itself. Instead, it shows you what is working, what is broken and where the opportunities are. Many small business owners in Delhi have never opened it, even though it was set up years ago.

If you are just starting SEO, use this Google Search Console guide together with our SEO checklist for small business websites.

How do you set up Google Search Console?

Setting up Search Console takes about 15 minutes. You need access to your website or domain settings.

1. Go to Google Search Console and sign in with your business Google account.
2. Add a property. Choose “Domain” for full coverage, or “URL prefix” if easier.
3. Verify ownership. Domain properties use a DNS record; URL prefix can use an HTML tag, file or your SEO plugin.
4. Submit your XML sitemap under “Sitemaps”.
5. Add your developer or agency as a user if needed, without giving away ownership.

If you use WordPress with Rank Math or Yoast, verification and sitemaps are often easy to set up from the plugin. The Search Console Help Center explains every option.

Which Search Console reports should beginners check?

Beginners should focus on four reports. They cover most of what a small business needs.

Report	What it shows	Why it matters
Performance	Clicks, impressions, CTR, position, queries, pages	Shows which searches bring visitors
Pages (indexing)	Indexed and not indexed pages, with reasons	Finds pages Google cannot show
Sitemaps	Sitemap status and discovered pages	Confirms Google can find your pages
Core Web Vitals	Speed and user experience issues	Highlights slow or unstable pages

The Links report is also useful later, to see which sites link to you.

Inside the Performance report, use the “Pages” tab to see which pages get the most impressions, and the “Countries” and “Devices” tabs to check where and how people find you. For a Delhi business, most clicks should come from India and mostly from mobile.

How do you find easy keyword wins in Search Console?

Look for searches where you get many impressions but few clicks, or where you rank on page two. These are your easiest wins.

Steps:

1. Open Performance and select the last three months.
2. Turn on all four metrics: clicks, impressions, CTR and position.
3. Sort queries by impressions.
4. Find queries with high impressions and a position between 8 and 30.
5. Find the page that ranks for each one.
6. Improve that page: better title, clearer answer, more detail, internal links.

In our work with Rohini businesses, improving pages that already rank on page two often brings faster results than writing new posts.

How do you fix common Search Console issues?

Fix issues that affect important pages first. Not every warning needs action.

• “Excluded by noindex tag”: Check if the page should be indexed. If yes, remove the noindex setting.
• “Not found (404)”: Redirect the old URL to the best matching page.
• “Crawled, currently not indexed”: Improve content quality and add internal links.
• “Duplicate without user-selected canonical”: Merge duplicate pages or set the right canonical.
• “Page with redirect”: Usually fine; just make sure internal links point to the final URL.

After fixing, use “Validate fix” in the report so Google rechecks. For a full process, see our SEO audit guide.

How often should you check Search Console?

Check Search Console once a month, and right away after major website changes or a sudden traffic drop.

A simple monthly routine:

• Compare clicks and impressions with last month.
• Check new errors in the Pages report.
• Find two or three page-two keywords to improve.
• Confirm your sitemap is still working.

Our SEO services include monthly Search Console monitoring. Businesses in North Delhi can also see our SEO agency in Rohini page. Follow this Google Search Console guide each month, and you will always know how your website is doing on Google.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Search Console free?

Yes, Google Search Console is completely free. You only need a Google account and access to your website to verify ownership. It provides real data from Google about your search performance, indexing and technical issues.

What is the difference between Search Console and Google Analytics?

Search Console shows how your site performs in Google search, like queries, impressions, clicks and indexing problems. Google Analytics shows what visitors do on your site after they arrive, from all sources. Most businesses should use both together.

Why are some of my pages not indexed?

Common reasons include noindex tags, duplicate content, thin or low-value pages, crawl problems or the page being new. Check the Pages report in Search Console for the exact reason, fix it, then request indexing or validate the fix.

How long does Search Console take to show data?

After verification, data usually starts appearing within a few days. Historical data is not available from before you added the property, so set it up as early as possible. Some reports need more traffic before they show details.

Can my agency access my Search Console?

Yes. As the owner, you can add your agency as a user with full or restricted access, without giving away ownership. Contact Digital Agency Delhi on 098705 93623 for a free SEO audit using your Search Console data.