Rapid technological advancement allows the development of tools that shape global business. One result is the abundance of SEO tools at your disposal. There are more than a hundred tools, and most of them require subscription fees to have full access to their features. Thankfully, there are also tools that you can use for free, such as Google Search Console.
This tool built by Google allows SEO specialists, marketers, and business owners to see the performance of their websites and the aspects that need improvement. To fully understand what Google Search Console is and how it can help improve your ranking on search results, we have prepared a simple yet helpful guide.
Understanding Google Search Console
As mentioned, Google Search Console (GSC) is an SEO tool that you can use for free. It provides information, which is essential for improving your ranking on search results. For example, it provides keywords that your website ranks for, the ranking you get for those keywords, the number of organic clicks your website gains when it appears on search results, and the other websites linked to any of your content.
Additionally, GSC also warns users of specific issues with the website, such as crawl errors and manual actions. Crawl errors tell you that Google cannot access one of your web pages. On the other hand, manual actions tell you whether Google removed or demoted a particular page due to violations of its quality guidelines. Aside from the issues mentioned, GCS also lets you know whether or not your website is mobile-friendly.
Benefits of Using Google Search Console
To understand how GSC can help you, here are some of the basic things you can do using it:
1. Improves Clickthrough Rates (CTR) For Underperforming Keywords
Underperforming keywords are those that do not put you in the top positions, specifically the first two, on search results. Keywords become unsuccessful when they do not get as many organic clicks as the top two websites on search results. Go to the “Search Results” tab and click the average CTR and position boxes to see these keywords.
To improve your rankings, optimize your page with high-domain keywords. Make sure that you are using search queries with high impressions — the number of times that a website appears on the search results for a particular query — because there is no point in utilizing ones that have only 20 impressions.
2. Optimizes Web Pages With High Rankings But Low CTR
GSC also allows you to see which pages on your website have high rankings but low clickthrough rates. If you are wondering how this is possible, different things appear on search results. Some things that might appear on top of your website are videos from YouTube and questions from the ask box. These can be the pages that take up most of the organic clicks.
When that happens, there’s nothing much to do since YouTube and ask box are from Google, so they dominate the top rankings. However, if there is only one competitor’s site on top of yours, then that is when you can start analyzing what caused your page’s CTR to be significantly lower than expected. This process allows you to assess if there is any way to get more organic clicks and traffic.
3. Checks For Sitemap Errors
Sitemaps are the files that tell Google about which pages on your site are essential. They help internet crawlers have a more convenient navigation experience when they visit your website. When there are issues with sitemap, there is a possibility that your website confuses internet crawlers, leading to a waste of time and effort on their end.
To determine if your website has sitemap issues, go to the “Sitemaps Report,” then click on the button beside the specific sitemap you want to check. After doing that, you will see the number of warnings, errors, valid URLs, and excluded ones. If there are any, GSC allows seeing what type of errors your sitemap has. For instance, there are issues involving duplicate URLs.
There are still many things that you can do when you use Google Search Console. Some of which are the following:
- Look for pages that need pruning or internal links.
- See which of your pages gained the most backlinks
Google Search Console helps see essential information, data, and insights to help improve your existing SEO strategies. Besides being a free tool, it is powerful since it lets people know that SEO is more than just competing for the top spot on search results. It helps understand the competitive landscape of SEO and the things needed to gain more organic clicks, traffic, and sales.
How Advanced Digital Media Services Can Help
At Advanced Digital Media Services, we build websites using the best SEO practices, strategies, and tools. Our SEO specialists know how to use Google Search Console and other powerful tools. If you seek growth or development for your business by establishing a solid presence online, we are in top shape to help you. Our SEO services ensure that your website dominates the top ranking on search results. Contact us today so we can start your digital marketing campaign as soon as possible. Call us!
