How To Setup Google Search Console For Your Site

Author: Paul O'Byrne / Source: Business 2 Community If you’ve recently just launched a site, one of the very first things you’ll want to d

Author: Paul O’Byrne / Source: Business 2 Community

If you’ve recently just launched a site, one of the very first things you’ll want to do is let Google know it exists. So we’ve put together a simple guide on how to setup google search console for your site, that you can do in less than 20 minutes.

Note: In order to use Google Search Console, you must have an account with Google to be able to connect your site.

What Is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools) is a free service offered by Google. It allows website owners to manage and monitor their site’s presence within the Google Search results. Just some of the primary services provided are:

uploading Sitemaps for indexing
the ability to check how Google crawls the site (i.e. what it sees in your site)
telling Google that there have been significant changes to your site
error monitoring so you can resolve the issues
discovering what sites are linking to you
checking to see if Google recognises your site as AMP configured

In essence, it’s a tool for you to use in order to help Google determine what it should be seeing and not seeing, so that it understands what your site is about. It’s an absolute must if you’re to keep on top of your SEO.

How To Add A Site To Google Search Console

Firstly, go to https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools. In order to gain access you’ll need to use your Google account. Enter your details, and proceed.

If your site starts with HTTP then you only need to do this once. However, if your site has an SSL Certificate and starts with HTTPS, then it’s recommended that you create both the HTTP and HTTPS version. So you’ll go through this process twice.