Google Search Console for small business owners

Search Console is free, it's from Google, and it's the only place that tells you what people typed before they landed on your site. Most small businesses have never opened it. If you want to stop guessing, start here.

Setting it up

Add your site as a property, verify ownership (usually a DNS record or a file your web person can add), then submit your sitemap, normally yourdomain.com.au/sitemap.xml. Data starts building from the day you verify, not retrospectively, so earlier is better.

The performance report

This shows the actual searches you appeared for, how often you were clicked, and your average position. Look for searches where you're appearing on page two, those are the fastest wins, because you're already close. Often the fix is simply writing a page that answers that exact query.

The pages report

This tells you which pages Google has indexed and which it has chosen to ignore, with a reason. "Discovered, currently not indexed" on your main service page is worth acting on today.

The URL inspection tool

Paste in any page and Google tells you whether it's indexed and when it last looked. Published something new? Request indexing and it'll usually be picked up within days instead of weeks.

A sensible monthly routine

• +Check total clicks against the previous month
• +Look for new searches you didn't expect, they're free content ideas
• +Check nothing important has dropped out of the index
• +Request indexing for anything you've added

Ten minutes a month is enough to catch problems while they're still small.