SEO Tips And Tricks - Google Search Console | Weekend Special¶

If you're serious about improving your website’s performance in Google search results, Google Search Console (GSC) is your best friend. It's free, powerful, and often underutilized.

In this blog, I’ll walk you through practical SEO tips and tricks using Google Search Console that will help you unlock real performance improvements—without guesswork.

1. Verify and Set Up Google Search Console Properly¶

Before anything else, make sure your site is verified using the domain property method. This gives you complete data across all subdomains and protocols (http/https).

• Tip: Submit both the www and non-www versions of your site and set your preferred version under Settings > Site Settings.

2. Submit Your XML Sitemap¶

Submitting your sitemap helps Google understand your site structure and crawl your pages more efficiently.

Steps:¶

• Go to Sitemaps in GSC.
• Submit your sitemap URL (e.g., /sitemap.xml).

Trick: Use tools like Yoast SEO (for WordPress) to generate an updated sitemap automatically.

3. Optimize Pages with High Impressions but Low CTR¶

Navigate to Performance > Search Results and sort by Impressions. Identify pages that get seen but not clicked.

Action Items:

• Update meta titles to include numbers, brackets, or questions.
• Make meta descriptions more enticing and include a CTA.
• Use target keywords closer to the start of the title.

Example: Change “Blog SEO Tips for Beginners” to “Top 10 Blog SEO Tips [2025 Guide] for Beginners”

4. Fix Indexing Issues¶

Under Pages > Why pages aren’t indexed, review any errors like:

• Crawled – currently not indexed
• Discovered – currently not indexed
• Soft 404
• Server errors (5xx)

Fixes:

• Ensure internal links point to these pages.
• Improve content quality and remove duplicates.
• Submit for reindexing after improvements.

5. Use the URL Inspection Tool¶

This tool helps diagnose specific page issues. You can check: If the URL is indexed:

• Last crawl date
• Mobile usability
• Canonical tags

Trick: After updating a blog or page, use this tool to request reindexing so your changes appear faster in Google.

6. Analyze Mobile Usability¶

More than 60% of searches happen on mobile. Go to Experience > Mobile Usability to find and fix:

• Clickable elements too close
• Text too small
• Content wider than screen

Action: Use a responsive design framework like Bootstrap or test pages using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.

7. Identify and Improve Poor-Performing Keywords¶

Under Performance > Queries, find keywords with:

• Low CTR despite high position
• High impressions but poor position

Optimize by:

• Adding those keywords to title, headers, and meta description
• Creating new content that better targets them
• Building internal links to the underperforming pages

8. Monitor Core Web Vitals¶

Page speed and UX are ranking factors. GSC’s Core Web Vitals report shows:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
• First Input Delay (FID)
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

Fixes:

• Compress images
• Use lazy loading
• Minify CSS/JS

Tip: Use tools like PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix for actionable steps.

9. Leverage “Discover” And Video Appearance Reports¶

If your content is visual-heavy or includes videos, check the Discover and Video performance reports. Optimize videos by:

• Using structured data (VideoObject schema)
• Adding transcripts
• Hosting videos on YouTube with proper metadata

Bonus Tip: Google often pulls video content into featured snippets if optimized correctly.

10. Track Backlinks with the Links Report¶

Backlinks are vital for SEO. Use GSC’s Links > Top linking sites report to:

• Find your best referral domains
• Spot spammy or irrelevant links
• Discover opportunities for link building outreach

Tip: Reach out to top referring domains and thank them, then offer fresh, updated content they might want to link to as well.

Final Thoughts¶

Google Search Console is not just a diagnostic tool it’s an SEO powerhouse when used strategically. Whether you're fixing crawl errors, optimizing meta data, or identifying keyword gaps, it gives you real, actionable data to improve your rankings. If you’re not using GSC regularly, you’re leaving organic traffic on the table.

Need Help with Google Search Console? Whether you're a blogger, business owner, or SEO pro, I can help you audit and optimize your GSC setup for better performance. Just drop your questions below!