1. How to Set Up Google Search Console

If you have not connected your website to Search Console, follow these steps.

Step 1: Open Google Search Console

Visit the official website:

https://search.google.com/search-console/

Sign in with the Google account you want to use to manage your website’s search data.

Step 2: Add Your Website Property

Search Console provides two main property options:

• Domain property: Covers the domain and its subdomains, including relevant URL protocols.
• URL-prefix property: Covers URLs that begin with the exact prefix you enter.

A Domain property generally offers broader coverage, but it requires DNS verification. A URL-prefix property can be verified using one of the methods supported for that property.

Step 3: Verify Ownership

Follow the verification instructions displayed by Google.

For a Domain property, this commonly involves adding a DNS TXT record through your domain provider. Other verification methods may be available depending on your property type and setup.

Do not remove a verification record or file unless you understand its purpose, because doing so may affect verification.

Step 4: Open Your Search Console Dashboard

After verification, open the property and review the available reports.

New properties may not show complete historical data immediately. Allow time for Search Console to collect and process information.

2. Understand the Performance Report

The Performance report helps you understand how your website appears in Google Search.

Its main metrics include the following.

Total Clicks

Clicks represent the number of times users clicked through to your website from the applicable Google Search results covered by the report.

If clicks increase over time, investigate which pages and queries contributed to the change.

Total Impressions

An impression generally means that a link to your website was shown in the search results covered by the report.

Impressions can help you discover whether your pages are appearing for relevant searches, even when users do not click.

Average Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR is the percentage of impressions that resulted in clicks.

The calculation is:

CTR = (Total Clicks ÷ Total Impressions) × 100

For example, if a page receives 100 clicks from 2,000 impressions, its CTR is 5%.

CTR varies by query, search position, device, and search-result layout. A lower CTR does not automatically mean that your page has a problem.

Average Position

Average position describes the average position of your site’s highest result for the relevant impressions in the report. It is not a fixed ranking for every person or search.

Use it alongside clicks, impressions, and CTR rather than judging SEO performance by this metric alone.

How to Use the Performance Report

To investigate a page:

1. Open Search Console and select your website.
2. Open the Performance report for Search results.
3. Choose an appropriate date range.
4. Review clicks, impressions, CTR, and average position.
5. Open the Pages tab to review individual URLs.
6. Select a page to filter the report.
7. Open the Queries tab to see search terms associated with that page.

If a page receives impressions for relevant queries but few clicks, review whether its title and description accurately communicate the content’s value.

If impressions are limited, investigate relevance, indexing, internal links, and content quality before making changes.

3. How to Check Whether a Page Is Indexed

Indexing is an important part of SEO because a page generally needs to be in Google’s index to appear in standard Google Search results.

However, not every URL on a website needs to be indexed. Duplicate URLs, certain feed URLs, intentionally excluded pages, and other non-canonical URLs may appropriately remain outside the index.

Use the URL Inspection Tool

Follow these steps:

1. Open Google Search Console.
2. Select the correct website property.
3. Enter the complete URL in the inspection bar at the top.
4. Review the reported indexing status.
5. Check the last crawl, crawl permission, indexing permission, and canonical information where available.
6. If necessary, click Test Live URL to test the current page.
7. Fix any confirmed issue before requesting indexing.

Search Console’s stored index information and its live test answer different questions. A live test can indicate whether Google can currently access a page, but it does not guarantee that the page will be indexed.

What Do the Common Status Messages Mean?

URL is on Google: The URL is indexed, although this does not guarantee that it will appear for every query.

URL is not on Google: Review the indexing details to understand why the page is not indexed.

Crawled – currently not indexed: Google crawled the page but has not included it in the index. Review the content’s usefulness, originality, duplication, and overall value. There is no guaranteed fix for every case.

Discovered – currently not indexed: Google knows about the URL but has not indexed it. Investigate whether the page is easy to discover, whether the server is reliable, and whether the page merits indexing.

Page with redirect: The inspected URL redirects elsewhere. Usually, the destination URL—not the redirecting URL—is the one you want indexed.

Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag: Google found an instruction telling it not to index the page. If the page should appear in Search, verify that the directive is intentional and remove it if appropriate.

Always read the specific details shown in Search Console before deciding what to fix.

4. How to Fix Common Indexing Problems

When an important page is not indexed, investigate the actual cause rather than repeatedly requesting indexing.

Problem 1: The Page Has a Noindex Directive

A noindex directive tells search engines not to include the page in their index.

If the page should be indexed, check the WordPress SEO settings and any relevant page-level or site-wide settings. Remove an unintended noindex directive, then test the live URL.

Do not remove noindex from pages that are intentionally excluded.

Problem 2: Google Cannot Crawl the Page

Check whether robots.txt rules or other access restrictions prevent Google from crawling the URL.

Also confirm that the page is publicly accessible and does not require a login.

Remember that robots.txt controls crawling; it is not a reliable substitute for a noindex directive when the goal is to prevent a URL from appearing in Search.

Problem 3: The Page Has a Canonical Issue

A canonical tag indicates which URL should be treated as the preferred version among duplicate or similar URLs.

If the wrong canonical URL is selected, check the page’s canonical setting, redirect configuration, internal links, and duplicate versions.

For a page that has intentionally moved, use an appropriate permanent redirect and update internal links to point directly to the destination.

Problem 4: The Page Is Crawled but Not Indexed

This status does not necessarily indicate a technical error.

Review whether the page provides enough unique value, answers a clear search intent, and differs meaningfully from other pages on your site.

Consider improving the article with useful examples, accurate information, clearer explanations, and relevant internal links.

Do not simply add words to make the article longer. Improve its usefulness.

Problem 5: The Page Is Discovered but Not Indexed

Google may know about a URL but not have crawled it yet.

Check that the URL appears in your sitemap when appropriate, is linked from relevant pages, and returns a successful response.

If many important URLs remain undiscovered or uncrawled, investigate broader site structure and server reliability rather than treating every URL as a separate problem.

Problem 6: The URL Returns a 404 Error

A genuine 404 means that the requested page was not found.

If the content has permanently moved to a relevant replacement, configure an appropriate redirect and update internal links. If the page was removed and has no suitable replacement, a 404 or 410 response may be appropriate.

Avoid redirecting every deleted page to the homepage when the destination is unrelated.

5. How to Submit an XML Sitemap

An XML sitemap helps Google discover important URLs on your website.

For WordPress websites, an SEO plugin often generates the sitemap automatically.

To submit it:

1. Open Google Search Console.
2. Select your website property.
3. Open the Sitemaps report.
4. Enter the sitemap URL.
5. Click Submit.
6. Review the reported status and any processing messages.

Use the sitemap URL generated by your website or SEO plugin. Do not guess the address if your setup uses a different path.

A sitemap is a discovery aid, not a guarantee of indexing. It should contain the canonical URLs you want Google to consider indexing, not old redirect URLs or pages intentionally marked noindex.

6. How to Find SEO Opportunities in Search Console

Search Console can help you decide which pages deserve further investigation.

Find Pages With Impressions but Few Clicks

Filter the Performance report by page and review pages that receive relevant impressions but relatively few clicks.

Consider whether the page title accurately describes the content and whether the description gives readers a useful reason to visit.

Do not rewrite titles merely to force a higher CTR. The title and description should remain accurate and useful.

Identify Queries You Already Appear For

Open the Queries tab and look for search terms related to your content.

These queries can reveal questions that your article answers well, as well as relevant subtopics that may need clearer explanations.

Use these insights to improve existing articles or plan genuinely different supporting content.

Review Pages Losing Traffic

Compare an appropriate recent period with an earlier period.

If clicks or impressions decline, investigate:

• Changes in the queries generating impressions.
• Changes in average position and CTR.
• Whether the page remains accurate and useful.
• Technical or indexing changes.
• Search demand and changes in search-result layouts.

A decline does not automatically mean that Google has penalized your website. Look for evidence before deciding on a remedy.

7. How to Use Google Search Console With WordPress

If your website runs on WordPress, you can combine Search Console data with your normal publishing and SEO workflow.

After publishing an article:

1. Confirm that the page loads correctly.
2. Check that it is not unintentionally marked noindex.
3. Confirm that the canonical URL is correct.
4. Add relevant internal links from existing content.
5. Confirm that the page is discoverable through your site’s navigation or sitemap.
6. Inspect the URL in Search Console when appropriate.
7. Review the indexing status and follow up on any meaningful issue.

If you use an SEO plugin, avoid changing multiple settings without understanding their effect. A working sitemap or canonical configuration should not be replaced merely because a report contains a message you have not seen before.

Keep a simple publishing log with the article URL, publication date, internal links, and indexing status. This makes follow-up easier.

8. What Should You Fix First?

Not every warning or non-indexed URL requires immediate action.

Prioritize issues that affect important pages or many URLs.

A practical order is:

1. Critical access problems: Fix server errors, accidental blocking, or unintended noindex directives on important pages.
2. Incorrect URL handling: Resolve broken internal links, redirect loops, and incorrect canonical settings.
3. Discovery problems: Improve sitemap accuracy and internal linking for important pages.
4. Content quality: Improve articles that are repetitive, inaccurate, outdated, or insufficiently useful.
5. Search performance: Review pages with meaningful impressions, declining clicks, or relevant queries that deserve attention.

Also remember that not every URL should be indexed. Duplicate pages, feeds, intentionally excluded URLs, and redirecting URLs may be correctly excluded.

Your goal is to ensure that important, canonical pages are accessible and eligible for indexing—not to make every URL appear as indexed in Search Console.

9. Common Google Search Console Mistakes to Avoid

Requesting indexing repeatedly: An indexing request does not guarantee inclusion, and repeated requests do not solve underlying content or technical problems.

Trying to index every URL: Focus on important canonical pages instead of feeds, duplicates, and unnecessary URLs.

Treating every warning as an emergency: Read the report details and determine whether the issue affects a page you actually want indexed.

Ignoring internal links: A sitemap helps discovery, but a useful site structure also helps visitors and search engines find important content.

Changing settings without testing: Before editing redirects, canonical tags, or robots directives, confirm what is causing the issue.

Expecting immediate results: Google may need time to recrawl and process changes. Indexing is not guaranteed, even after a successful live test.

Judging SEO only by average position: Use clicks, impressions, CTR, relevant queries, and the business purpose of each page to evaluate performance.

10. A Simple Weekly Google Search Console Routine

You do not need to spend hours checking Search Console every day.

A simple weekly routine can help you stay organized.

Step 1: Review search performance. Look for meaningful changes in clicks, impressions, CTR, and relevant queries.

Step 2: Check important pages. Inspect new or updated URLs when there is a reason to verify their status.

Step 3: Review significant indexing issues. Focus on important pages and recurring technical problems rather than every non-indexed URL.

Step 4: Improve one or two articles. Use the available evidence to improve clarity, usefulness, accuracy, or internal linking.

Step 5: Record what you changed. Keep notes so you can compare performance after Google has had time to process the changes.

Consistency is more useful than repeatedly checking the same reports without taking action.