By Jon Monk, Head of Search Performance

Our latest webinar focussed on Google Search Console (GSC). We shared lots of practical insights on using GSC to enhance your event website's SEO performance.

Here's our summary of that session, along with the full recording, which will guide you through the set-up process, help you understand the importance of GSC and how to leverage its features for better search visibility.

What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console (GSC) is a tool designed to help you monitor and improve your website's performance in Google Search results. Unlike Google Analytics, which provides a broad overview of all website traffic, GSC focuses specifically on organic search performance. It offers detailed insights into the queries and keywords driving traffic to your site, helping you optimise for better visibility.

Setting Up Google Search Console:

• Domain Verification: Use the domain verification method for richer data, requiring DNS record changes at your domain service provider. This method provides comprehensive insights into your website's performance.
   
• URL Prefix: If DNS changes are not feasible, use the URL prefix method. While this provides slightly less information, it is easier to set up.
   
• Data Collection: It may take up to a week for GSC to start showing data after setup. The sooner you set it up, the sooner you can begin collecting valuable insights.

Linking with Google Analytics:

We'd highly recommend integrating GSC with Google Analytics for more comprehensive insights. This helps you in understanding audience behaviour and optimising your Google Ads performance. The integration will also enrich your analytics data, providing a fuller picture of how users find and interact with your website.

SEO Insights Terminology:

• Crawling and Indexing: Google bots crawl your site to analyse and store pages in its index. Proper crawling and indexing are crucial for good SEO performance. If Google can't crawl or index your pages, they won't appear in search results.
   
• Core Web Vitals: These metrics assess your website's speed and user experience, influencing your site's ranking. Ensuring your site loads quickly and offers a good user experience is essential for maintaining and improving your search rankings.

Practical Use of GSC:

Performance Overview:

• Clicks and Impressions: Monitor how often your site appears in search results (impressions) and how many clicks it receives. High impressions with low clicks suggest your meta titles and descriptions may need improvement. 
   
• Click-Through Rate (CTR): Check the ratio of clicks to impressions. A low CTR might indicate the need to improve meta titles and descriptions to make them more enticing and create a better conversion rate.
   
• Average Position: Track the average ranking position of your site’s pages in search results. Understanding your average position helps identify which pages need optimisation.
   
• Index Coverage Report:
  • Identify which pages are indexed and which are not. Ensure important pages are indexed and troubleshoot reasons for non-indexed pages, such as redirects, noindex tags, or crawl errors. Regular checks can prevent critical pages from being overlooked by search engines.
     
• Enhancements:
  • Implement schema markup (like event schema) to make your content eligible for rich results in search. Rich results can significantly increase visibility and click-through rates.
     

Advanced Insights:

• Analysing Queries and Pages: Discover the search terms that lead users to your site and assess page performance. Identify pages ranking in positions 10-20 and optimise them to boost rankings. Regular analysis can uncover new opportunities for optimisation.
   
• Link Analysis: Monitor external links to your site and the internal link structure to ensure important pages receive enough internal links. Quality backlinks from reputable sites will also improve your site's authority and rankings.

Troubleshooting and Maintenance:

• Check for Errors: Regularly inspect for indexing errors, security issues, and manual actions that could impact your site's performance. Early detection and resolution of issues can prevent significant drops in traffic.
   
• Monitor Crawl Stats: Ensure Googlebot is crawling your site effectively without unusual spikes or issues. Consistent crawl activity indicates that Google is successfully accessing and indexing your content.

Your GSC Checklist:

• Set up Google Search Console and verify your domain.
• Link GSC with Google Analytics for better insights.
• Regularly check the Performance, URL Inspection, and Index Coverage reports.
• Implement schema markup for rich results.
• Monitor and fix crawl errors and indexing issues.
• Analyse queries and page performance to identify optimisation opportunities.
• Book a free consultation with us if you need some 1-2-1 advice.

Google Search Console is an invaluable tool for improving your website's SEO. Regular use and analysis can lead to a better understanding and enhancement of your site's search performance. Setting up GSC, integrating it with Google Analytics, and using the insights to make informed decisions will drive more traffic and engagement to your website.

Watch the Video of the Webinar 

The full webinar can be viewed here:

 

Keen to find out more? 
Stay tuned for future webinars (please let us know if you'd like us to cover anything specific). And if you'd like to become an SEO expert yourself, you should check out our SEO Masterclass which will give you lots more in-depth training.

Contact our SEO Expert, Jon Monk For More Information